The warlord
by GOthIC-anGELz
Summary: Princess Elena Gilbert of Mystic fall's is set to Marry Mason Lockwood a King who seem's charming in the presence of others but abusive behind closed doors. When Damon Salvatore a cruel and heartless warlord finds out he is determined to kidnap her and marry her to gain control of her father. But will she end up capturing his heart or will she end up trapped with mason
1. Chapter 1

Elena sighed, no matter how many times she has walked around this garden her boredom would not shift. Her doe brown eyes gazed longingly at the castle gates. How she wished she could venture out again, she felt trapped here. She sat down on the grass, servants, guards and nobles all watching her carefully. She hated how they all watched, waiting for her to do something wrong so they would have something to gossip about or report. She brushed her wavy elbow length, chestnut hair out of her face and picked up a dandelion. She longed for the day this war ended and she was allowed to venture into the forest again to practice her archery. The feel of a bow and arrow in her hands always made her feel calm and complete. Her father forbade it but she did not care and convinced her brother to teach her at the young age of 13. She was now 2 weeks from being 18 and had become an expert archer, rivalling the skills of those in the realms elite squad to which Jeremy belonged. She used her manicured nails to cut a slit in the dandelion and grabbed another one, threading the stem into it. She had done this many time's with her mother as a child, they would make a crown and Miranda would place it upon her head while filling her with hopes of love. More people stop to watch her and she cringed. She had been told by many suitors that her beauty was above all others and they were not wrong. She was beautiful. Her eyes were the perfect almond shape with rows of thick long lashes that widened them, exposing her kind and gentle eyes. Her nose was small and slim and lips full and rosy. Her body was slim but toned from many hours of archery practice but still had curves to die for. She sighed losing interest in what she was doing; she had lost interest in these types of things ever since her mother started forcing etiquette down her throat. She loved her mother more than anything but lately she felt like a prize to be shipped off to the highest bidder. Elena Gilbert of the mystic falls realm was soon to be wed to a man she did not know nor love. Her mother had lied to her; she had filled her dreams with passion and love only to dash them. Tomorrow she would find out who her hand was promised to publicly and humiliatingly so that alliances could be made as they faced the threat against _him_.

...

Damon Salvatore rode down his army camp, his silver armour shinning and demanding respect. He was a man to be feared. His piercing blue eyes held distaste and a frown was etched into his godly features. The news he had just received was not welcomed and he was furious. The Gilbert's once again had set his plans back for the second time this season. His muscles rippled and contracted under his armour as he dismounted his horse angrily. This war was dragging on too long for his liking and wished nothing more than to be in his bed chamber with a few women in his bed and a whiskey in his hand. He hurried into his strategy tent to find his generals around the map they had drawn up, wooden figures placed to signify where his army's were.

"Alaric, update now!" his friend was taken aback by his tone but nodded to Klaus and Stefan who moved a few figures around.

"My lord, it seems the Mason Lockwood is advancing his army into our territory at Richmond. We've heard that he also has a small convoy heading into Mystic Falls" Damon's hand clenched the table _god damn those Gilberts!_

"It has come to my attention that Lockwood is intended to marry Gilbert's daughter Elena, securing their alliance which will cause his army to outnumber ours and also block the path we need to take to get to the Lockwood realm" his generals looked up shocked. This was new and could cause everything to fall apart "We need a way to gain control of mystic falls and fast" Damon looked over to his brother who had his brows furrowed together in concentration

"We could kidnap her?" Damon rose his head, his sapphire eyes meeting his brothers emerald ones "If we stop the wedding we stop the alliance right?"

"No that wouldn't work, it would just make them work together to get her back, causing us to retreat further" The idea ticked over in his head "But if I convinced her to marry me instead then Grayson would have no choice but to join us, we would have free passage straight through mystic falls"

"And how do you expect that to work? Women have no power in war!" Damon sneered at Klaus; sometimes he didn't even know why this man was his general. His brother insisted he was one of the best which was the only reason he was here

"Everyone knows how much Grayson love's his daughter, he would do anything for her even if that meant joining with us, if I get her into bed with me he would have no choice but to marry her to me in fear of ruining his precious daughters reputation" Klaus was silent then nodded, Damon was right. He couldn't help but smirk, he had heard many time's of the Gilbert girl's beauty. A part of him had always wish they would cross paths after the war just to see if it was true what they said, that Elena Gilbert, Daughter or Miranda and Grayson Gilbert was the jewel of all the realms. To have her on his arm would bring him an honour no man had ever accomplished before.


	2. Why me?

Elena felt trapped; she looked around the ball room at the hundreds of hidden faces that were present for the announcement, the announcement that would determine the rest of her life. She adjusted her black diamond encrusted mask and grabbed another glass of champagne. She was thankful her parent's had chosen a masquerade theme as it gave her the freedom to drink and calm her nerves. Every part of her mind was screaming at her to run, to pick up the hem of her dress and escape out of the giant gilded doors that adorned the room. But she couldn't so she would settle for glass after glass of champagne to at least numb her feelings. Many people overlooked her in her plain yet elegant black floor length gown. It was simple yet delicate, hugging her curves in the right places but not enough to draw attention to her. Her parents didn't even know what she had chosen as a gown and she was thankful, if they knew she was wearing the colours of mourning they surely would have scolded her. She looked around the room once again in hopes of spotting someone she knew and laid eyes on Bonnie Bennet, he dearest friend and brother's fiancé. Elena felt envy consume her gut, Jeremy was allowed to choose his bride, as long as she was of noble blood her parent's could care less, he was going to be king one day so they would rather he married for love. She made her way over to Bonnie and hugged her, needing comfort from someone who knew she was trying to keep herself together. Her dark skinned friend gave her a hug of support, a hug that gave her strength to keep her happy façade up.

"Hey Lena, I thought that was you" Bonnie held her at arm's length looking her over, a small smile on her lips "Only you would see this as a funeral not a celebration" Elena smiled as they shared the joke between them.

"Thanks' Bon, you know me, defiant to the end" Bonnie chuckled; they were acting like her days were at an end. In Elena's mind they were though, her carefree life was about to end. She was about to become a slave to her duties.

"This has to be my little sis! No one else would have the balls to hug my fiancé without my permission" Elena gave her brother a giant hug, feeling secure in his warm embrace. No matter how she felt Jeremy always made her feel calm and at ease. "You ready for this Lena?" she sighed, hanging her head to look at her shoes

"I guess I have to be Jer" she saw sadness in his eyes; he only ever wanted her to be happy and his parent's had taken that chance away from her. "Don't worry about me though, I'll be fine" she watched Jeremy's eyes light up and he leant forward

"Of course you will be, I taught you how to protect yourself" Elena chuckled, no one but them knew that he had trained her and she knew that she would put up a fight. It wasn't in her nature to just roll over and take other peoples crap

"Do you, do you know who it is Jer?" her brother shook his head. Their parent's had kept this secret well. A hand tapped her shoulder and her brother stepped forward protectively as she turned around to face a well dressed man. He was in a stunning black suit with a silk sapphire tie that matched his bright sapphire eyes. Elena gasped as the bore into her doe brown one's, entrapping her.

"Excuse me my lady; I was just wondering if you could grace me with a dance?" Elena saw the man's eyes twinkle behind his black mask, a mask that matched hers. His eyes flicked to her brother uneasily, feeling his intense gaze.

"Y-yes, you may" she turned around to Jeremy, nodding that she was comfortable with it. She placed her hand into the strangers and let him lead her to the middle of the dance floor amongst the many others and out of sight of prying eyes.

...

Damon scoffed at how easy it had been to sneak into the Gilberts castle, their security lacking in many places. Tonight wasn't the night to kidnap the princess; it was to scope it out so he could make a flawless plan. He also wanted to get a glimpse at this supposed beauty. It didn't take him long to find her, she had tried her hardest not to stand out but he knew it was her from a mile away. He admired how her dress clung to her in all the right places, giving him a perfect idea of her form underneath but what stood out to him was her smile. That smile light up the room without her even realising and he felt his heart tug_ what is wrong with me, she's just another pawn in this game nothing more._ He brushed his suit off and made his way over to her, his eyes twinkling. He would be right under Prince Jeremy's nose and he would never suspect it was him even thought they had met many times on the battle field.

...

"So, are you from around here?" Elena felt butterfly's in her stomach as she felt his warm hand through the material of her dress when he gripped her side. She was nervous, something about this man made her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest _what is wrong with me!_

"No my lady, I'm from another realm" They stared into each other's eyes and Elena frowned unimpressed with his answer. She felt like he was taunting her by his tone, daring her to probe deeper

"Oh, which one?" The man smiled and her breath hitched in her throat. What was it about this man that enchanted her so quickly?

"One you have never visited my lady" her doe brown eyes settled into a glare as his smiled turned into a half smile that she found incredibly sexy. _Why won't he give me a straight answer?_

"I see, what brings you to mystic falls?" The man smiled again this time it reached his eyes and Elena couldn't help smiling back at him. He pulled her closer to him so that their bodies were pressed up together. Her knee's felt week at the sudden contact and her stomach was now in knots _get a grip Elena, you only met this man second's ago and your acting like a school girl_

"Just business, I'm very interest in procuring an...object that I've heard much about, a jewel of some sorts" she furrowed her brows together in curiosity, this man was so cryptic

...

Something about Elena made him playful; he didn't know whether it was her childlike innocence or the look of curiosity in her eyes that made him tease her. He could only see half her face but he could already tell that the stories were true. His eye's flicked to her lips and he smirked, they looked so full and soft, tempting him to have a taste. He heard her ask another question and quickly looked back up to her eyes. The curiosity in them was stronger than before but there was something else that lay within them, something he had seen many times before. Damon could tell by how her body naturally moulded into his and how her skin had become flush that she was feeling desire for him _this is going to be easier then I though_

...

She noticed his eyes trained on her lips and frowned, she wished he would kiss her; she wanted to feel his mouth upon hers. Something about him consumed her, made her feel things no one had made her feel before. She blushed, she was about to be engaged and here she was thinking about kissing a man she had only known for a few minutes.

"A jewel? There are no jewels worth the interest here Mr..." she cocked her head to the side, wondering what he was talking about. Yes her realm was wealthy and had many jewels but none uncommon in the other realms. Something in her mind told her that he wasn't talking about that sort of jewel but she pushed it back trying to settle her already rampant nerves.

"I beg to differ...princess" he leaned down and Elena froze, he was going to kiss her. He was going to kiss her knowing full well who she was. She should have pulled away but something in her raised her head to his, her lips meeting his. She felt her body tingle and she moaned. His arm snaked around her pulling her even closer to him and his other hand held her by the back of the neck, controlling the kiss. Elena felt his tongue flick against her lips and she opened them so that hers could tangle around his in a breath taking battle. Sure she had been kissed before but not like this, this was a kiss of dominance, he was claiming her and she was letting him. The music stopped and he pulled away from her, bowing and kissing the back of her hand. "Until next time princess" she was left stunned, standing in place as she watched his retreating back disappear into the crowd _He never gave me his name_. She was so stunned that she nearly missed her being called up to the front of the hall. _Snap out of it! _She turned around, a blush firmly set on her cheeks _did anyone see that?_ Elena looked around, people were watching her but in the normal way with a sense of anticipation and she blew out a sigh, no one had noticed. She reached the front, he mother embracing her as she did and Elena noticed a man standing next to her father and she cringed. She knew exactly who this man was, her eyes flicked to find an exit, her mind once again screaming at her to run. They stopped when she saw sapphire and once again she felt his intense dominating gaze and then he was gone and she was left to face her fiancé. A man she had many times had unpleasant encounters with due to her rejecting his advances. King Mason looked down at her greedily, he finally had her.


	3. Never backing down

Hi everyone sorry for such a later update had issues getting Microsoft office onto my laptop and have been playing The Last Of Us (it has taken over my life!) not my strongest chapter but I hope you like it, just wanted to show Masons dickhead side before we really get into the Damon and Elena/kidnappy goodness :D much love to all my reviewers you guys are great!

Damon watched Elena quickly slip out of the ballroom the first chance she had gotten, he had noticed her disappointment and uneasiness from the corner of the room the second she laid her eye's on Mason. He had noted many things about her actually. How she kept her distance from the older Lockwood at all times, the way she moved from each foot every time Mason's bragging gaze set upon her and how when they danced her eyes were locked on the exit. It was clear to Damon that Elena didn't feel comfortable and dare he think it unsafe. Damon kept to the shadows as he followed her down corridors, keeping track of every turn hoping that she was going to her room. It would be easier to take her from there without the prying eyes of others when the official engagement party was on and he had a feeling she would sneak away just as she had this time. He quickly ducked behind an alcove statue as she turned around to advancing footsteps. _That was to close_ he thought to himself and frowned, he was too focused on watching how her hips swayed and remembering where he was going to notice another pair of footsteps further back.

….

Elena bit her lip, she could swear that someone was watching her, the hairs on her arms were raised and a sense of nervousness came over her. She looked down and quickened her pace, making sure to watch her feet so she didn't stumble. She wanted to get to her room quickly, the further away from the party and whatever was following her the better. _Please, please don't be a ghost! _Elena wrapped her arms around her torso and shook her head _ghosts…what a ridiculous thought!_ She strained her ears to listen for any out of place sounds and froze, footsteps where coming up behind her and quickly. _Please, please, please don't be mother!_ She spun around looking for the person and saw Mason storming towards her, his fist's curled up in anger and mouth set in a firm scowl. Elena took a step backwards in alarm, knowing full well his intentions would not end well for her.

"How dare you embarrass me you stupid, little cow!" Elena put her arms up trying to show him that she meant him no harm "You left me looking like a complete idiot!" Mason grabbed her wrists roughly and Elena winced at his tightening grip

"I…I'm sorry Mason! I was feeling overwhelmed by it all" Elena's eyes flicked behind the angry king and saw something move behind a statue "I meant you no embarrassment I swear!"

…..

Damon watched angrily at the scene unfolding in front of him, his hand on the sheath of his sword. How dare Lockwood lay a hand on Elena in such a manor! He went to step out from his hiding place but froze when her eye's looked straight at him and something in them told him she could handle herself. He stepped back never taking his hand off his sword just in case and watched his jewel with curiosity.

….

Mason backed Elena into the wall, his grip now causing her to wince and she knew for certain they would probably bruise. Her eye's flicked to the statue again and she felt her fear slip away feeling a sense of protection. She was not one to back down and she was never going to let this pitiful excuse of a king break her. "Get your hands off me Mason" she yanked her wrists out of his grip and pushed him in the chest causing him to stumble at the unexpected response "Me? Embarrass you? I do not think so _king_! How dare you handle me in such manor! I am still the princess of Mystic Falls and until we are married you are not to ever touch me again!" Mason's face screwed up in rage and he raised his hand to slap her but Elena pushed him back again "Don't you even think about it! If you EVER lay one hand on me again Lockwood I'll make sure there is an arrow sticking out of you black, disgusting heart" Mason leant down so there eyes were level, his glare threatening and Elena felt scared again.

"You listen here you little wench, right now I am going to walk away because I wouldn't want to mess up that pretty little face of yours before the official engagement ball but if you ever embarrass me, raise your voice to me or push me again you will regret it. The second you become my wife you are MY property to do with what I please; so enjoy these last few months you have in your precious mystic falls because I'm going to make the rest of your life hell"

…

Damon couldn't help but feel a sense of pride rise in him as he watched his doe eyed jewel stand up for herself. He saw that Lockwood's words had the opposite effect on her then what the pitiful man had hoped as the fight came back into her eyes. Damon did not expect to see what he saw though as the petite princess grabbed the taller man's shoulders and rammed her knee into his groin. His jaw dropped to the floor in admiration, not many people would stand up against Lockwood and Damon thought never in a million years he would see him be dropped to the ground by a girl. He watched her slip past her attacker on the ground and quickly followed, knowing that Lockwood would not be opening his eyes anytime soon; hell he didn't think he would have the capability of producing an heir after a blow like that. Damon watched Elena enter a room at the far end of the north wing and chuckled, he only hoped that when his plan came into action he wouldn't end up in the same position as his rival.


	4. The kidnapping

Elena couldn't breathe, she felt the wall's closing in on her and her eyes were wide in fear. Bile was stuck in her throat and her breath came out in short bursts as her body tried to fight off the anxiety attack she was having. She stood in front of the tall hall doors next to her fiancé as they waited to be announced in. She hated being on display like this, hated that the man she was supposed to marry had grabbed her arm to forcefully to hold her in place as he felt her fear. Her eyes flicked to Mason in panic, she did not want to marry this monster and she did not want to go to this engagement ball!

"Elena, I swear to god if you don't pull yourself together and embarrass me again I won't back down like last time" her doe eyes widened as her chest clenched at his threat. How did her parents expect her to go through with this! Did they not see Mason the way she did? How could they put her in this position! She winced as his nails dug into her arm and a tear rolled down her cheek "Elena, snap the fuck out of it" she nodded, raising her free hand to dab away the tear carefully to make sure she didn't ruin her make up. She took in a deep breath, trying to ignore how her tight corset under her gold coloured gown constricted it _just breath, get through this night and then you don't have to see him again till the wedding_. Somehow she managed to compose herself and plaster a fake smile on her face "That's better, now remember what I told you…Do not embarrass me" she nodded as they heard trumpets blowing and the door's opened. Once again her heart clenched and she gritted her teeth _you can do this!_.

"And now presenting the future king and queen of Lockwood!" she felt herself being slightly dragged through the doors as she concentrated on not stumbling, the blood pounding in her ears drowning out the applause they were getting. She held her head up, looking straight forward and not anywhere else for she knew if her eyes fell on a friend she would break _this isn't fair! _They stood in the middle of the hall, a circle of people around them and Mason place a hand on her hip, the other grabbing her hand so they were in position to dance. The music started and Elena closed her eyes, if she just concentrated on what she was doing and not the man in front of her she would be able to stay in control of herself

"Elena, look at me" she heard Mason hiss the words at her angrily and she reluctantly obeyed. The second her eyes met his the panic returned and she felt herself try to pull away. His grip on her tightened which only made her panic more and she ripped away from him. She heard shocked gasps as she stood there frozen, her body battling to control her urges to flee but one look in Mason's eyes told her that if she stood there any longer he was going to snap. She turned on her heel and fled, tears streaming down her face and dared not look back in fear that he would chase her.

…

Damon lay down on Elena's bed with a smug smile on his face, all he had to do was hang out here for a few hours to wait for that stupid party to finish and he could put his plan into action. Just as last time it had been far too easy for him to sneak into the castle unnoticed and even easier to replace the guards on his escape route with his own men. The Gilberts were far too naïve for their own good and Damon was going to teach them a lesson for it. His mind wandered back to the reason he was here and smiled, his jewel was finally going to be his and he was going to win this war once and for all. He stood up and decided to look around Elena's room out of boredom, his mind wanting to know about her more and hoping it would reveal things about her to him. The sound of trumpets reached his ears and he felt a pinch of jealousy thinking about Lockwood being so close to Elena _why the hell am I feeling jealous? This is just about winning this war and nothing more. _Damon sighed, she had gotten under his skin and he couldn't afford it, any sign of weakness tonight and his plan would go bust. To distracted with his thoughts he abandoned his search of the room and sat down on her vanity chair and leaned back, placing his feet on the dresser and waited. He stared to inspect his Italian leather boots with care, frowning when he spotted a smudge. He hated his things being messy! The door suddenly flew open and in shock Damon fell backwards ungracefully and landed with his back on the floor. He looked up in surprise and frowned; his soon to be prisoner had tears streaming down her face and she was staring down at him angrily

"Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my room!" she slammed the door behind her and Damon quickly got to his feet to regain his composure. She crossed her arms and let out an angry huff _she's cute when she's angry_.

"Why princess, my name is Damon Salvatore and I'm here to take you as my prisoner" Elena's eyes went wide and he couldn't help but throw a smirk at her "Clearly you've heard of me before"

"Y-you, you're the reason I have to get married to Mason! If it wasn't for your stupid war I would never be in this position!" Damon was taken aback by her reaction, he tells her he's taking her as a prisoner and she yells at him for being the reason she was getting married _she's defiantly going to be worth the challenge_. Elena stepped forward angrily, her finger raised at him and he raised an eyebrow "It's all your god damn fault!" she raised her hand to slap him but he quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest "Let go of me!"

"No-pe, as I said princess I'm taking you as my prisoner" he chuckled as she squirmed in his arms to try and free herself "Struggling is futile my jewel" He felt her freeze and she stared up into his sapphire eyes in shock

"I-it's you…the one from the masquerade…" He gave her his famous half smile and nodded proudly, his eyes twinkling in amusement "I can't believe I let you kiss me! Damon Salvatore! The cold hearted, ruthless warlord!"

"The one and only" He leant down to kiss her again but was shocked when a fist connected with his jaw. He stepped back in bewilderment to stare at her, how did she manage to get a shot at him?

"H-How dare you try to kiss me again! What the hell are you thinking! Just because you tricked me last time does not give you the right to pucker your lips even remotely near me you..you prick!" He glared at the angry girl in front of him, losing his playful demeanour. _My window is closing to get out of here unnoticed_

"Never raise your hand to me again Elena, I will never lay a hand on you but be warned you do not want to test me" He watched her eyes fill with fear and she started to rub her arm, his eyes flicked to it and noticed a black bruise forming _Lockwood that asshole!_ "My patience is running thin princess and sadly I do not have the luxury of time on my side" Damon reached out for her and grabbed her wrists, she tried to pull away but he was to quick and had them tied together within seconds "I'm giving you a choice here Elena, come quietly or I'll have to gag you" she turned around and tried to run but Damon managed to grab the back of her dress, causing her to trip and hit her head on the door handle. He sighed looking down at the unconscious girl, this was not how he wanted this to go. He picked her up and carried her out of the room bridal style just as Stefan came running towards him.

"Damon, we have to move quick, Lockwood's on his way if we do this right we can get out before anyone's alerted" The raven haired warlord nodded, glancing down at his prize and smiled. Finally he had the upper hand. He leant down and placed a small kiss on her forehead where the door handle had connected

"I finally have you my jewel" he whispered and quickly walked down the servant's hall way further down from her room.


	5. Waking up

A/N I just want to say a BIG thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are amazing and especially to Irishmauve, I'll do my best to keep Damon as a true type of warlord you described

And to alyssa92, kfulmer and petrovaaa who have reviewed my story more than once you guys rock also to all the story followers!

I may fix up this chapter later on in the week as i wrote this at 1 in the morning so excuse any mistakes :)

…..

The sensation of bouncing made Elena groan, her head was pounding and her stomach was churning violently. Her eyelids felt heavy as she attempted to open them to no avail, she was groggy and the pounding in her head was so painful the small task was a strain to achieve. She tried again, blinking rapidly as the sun shone into her brown irises and her eyes began to weep _what is going on? Why does my head feel like it's filed with lead and why am I bouncing? _Questions consumed her and she closed her eyes again, steadying her breathing to fight against the bile welling up in her throat _right, breath slowly and try get a bearing of what's going on_. She focused her mind on feeling and listening to her surroundings, knowing that until she calmed herself her eyelids would not obey her. _Bouncing…something's causing me to bounce and there's…is that arms around me? _Elena could feel strong arms pressed into her sides, holding her in place firmly so she would not fall _a horse…I must be on a horse…but why?_ She winced as her train of thought struggled again through the pain in her head

"Don't strain to much my jewel, you've given yourself a concussion" her eye's flew open widely as the familiar voice brought back her memory and she started to struggle, causing the horse they were on to disrupt it's pace. An arm wrapped around her, forcing her closer to the body behind her "Stop struggling or we'll both fall"

"Let me go Salvatore!" Elena kept struggling aggressively against her captor and felt his grip on her loosen as he tried to gain control of his horse which was becoming unruly at the commotion on its back

"Brother, are you alright?" her head snapped to the side of them and she noticed a sandy, blonde haired man with green eyes before she slumped forward, she had moved to quick and she felt like her head was splitting in two. Suddenly the horse she was on reared up and she heard her captor swear under his breath, he quickly let go of her which caused her to slip off the horse as her head was in her hands due to the pain. Elena let out a hiss as she felt her back hit the ground with a hard slap, mud flying around her and lungs gasping for breath.

"You stupid girl! I told you and now look at you!" Elena looked up from the ground to see angry, piercing blue eyes glaring down at her "You already had a concussion due to you hitting your head on the bloody door knob and now you've probably just added to the damage! Are you so stubborn that you would rather put your health in more jeopardy then to listen for once?" Elena was confused his rant almost seemed caring, if it didn't hold such a cold tone to it. She made a move to get up but he heard the black haired man make a tutting sound at her "Don't move you'll just put yourself in more pain, we might as well set up camp here and get you checked over properly" he dismounted the now calm horse and leaned over her, raising his hand to her head he brushed her mud caked hair off her forehead to revel a small gash "What am I going to do with you?"

"Damon?" The sandy haired man questioned, Elena took her time to look over Damon while he was momentarily distracted. His black hair looked shaggy on his head and there were bags under his sapphire eyes from a hard nights ride. She had to admit to herself that he was far past handsome, almost godly. _It's like he's been sculpted out of marble _she thought_ stop it Elena this man has kidnapped you, insulted you and hurt you! He is not attractive!_

"Set up camp Stephan and bring the medics quickly before _she_ hurts herself anymore" Elena's eyes filled with rage at his sarcastic tone and she went to sit up but his hand kept her down

"Me! hurt myself! If you didn't kidnap me none of this would have happened! I wouldn't have a pounding headache, my back wouldn't be aching and I wouldn't be covered in filth!" Damon looked down at her with a smug smile on his face and he chuckled

"Really Elena, I have not harmed a single hair on your head, it isn't my fault that you're so damn clumsy"

….

Damon couldn't help it, even in her damaged state he felt the need to tease Elena, the way her brown eye's hardened and filled with untamed fire intrigued and enticed him. She tried to forced herself up again and he frowned _why is she so damned determined to cause herself more pain_ "look princess I am trying to help you and the way I see it you have two choices, you can either lie there like a good girl and wait for the medics to come with the stretcher or try once again to stand up, which I have no doubt will cause your headache to increase and you pass out and I cannot guarantee that I will catch you" Damon sighed as she pushed herself up into a sitting position _this isn't going to be as easy as I thought_ "You really want to do that?"

"I do not want, or need your help Salvatore…I am _fine_" he stood up and watched her struggle to her feet, stumbling every now and then. She brushed down her dress even though it just smudged the dirt further into it a proud smile on her lips. Damon could tell by her eye's that she was in overwhelming pain but her pride was too strong to accept his help "Now if you don't mind I WILL be leaving now" Damon shook his head and stood out of her way, one hand outstretched as he bowed down

"As you wish Princess Gilbert" He watched as she took a deep breath in to compose herself, her head held high and determination radiating off her. She took a step forward and Damon quickly caught her as her legs gave out and tears leaked out of her eyes "You're not going anywhere my jewel, so do yourself a favour and let my medics help you" Elena's brown eyes bore into his in defeat and she nodded but turned her head away as he tried to wipe a tear away from her face with his thumb

"Fine, but I promise you, I will escape eventually, I will never stop trying" Damon gave her a genuine smile, finally he had met someone worth his time, someone who pushed and challenged him. He picked her up bridal style his eyes still held captivated in the depths of hers

"I look forward to you trying my jewel, for I can guarantee you will not succeed" he looked up as men with white robes rushed over to them "I'm putting her in your care for the next few days, do not let her out of your sight, if something goes wrong call for Stephan as I will place him with you at all times and if anything happens to her it'll have your heads" the men nodded nervously, taking careful note of his instructions knowing full well what there leader was capable of. Damon placed Elena down on the stretcher carefully and she closed her eyes to drift back into sleep. "Rest easy my jewel, we have a long way to go"

…

"How the hell did Damon Bloody Salvatore get in here!" strong fists slammed down on Grayson Gilbert's desk angrily "Why did we not have enough guards on duty!" The king of Mystic falls looked warily down at his hands, despair riddled his mind at the thought of his only daughter missing and in the hands of the ruthless warlord

"That's what I'd like to know" the voice of a seething Mason Lockwood filled the room "We are in the middle of war and you let your defences slip so easily?"

"King Lockwood, our defences are at the highest standard, we had focused them on patrols as we felt that spies were our greatest threat, not once did I ever think Salvatore was bold enough to try something like this" Grayson sighed, he had to remain calm knowing that anger would not get them anywhere

"Not bold enough! This is Damon Salvatore you're talking about Greyson! The Salvatore warlord known for his cunning and strategic tactics, this is the EXACT thing he would do!" Mason advanced on the Mystic falls king, his temper flaring "You allowed that disgrace take what is rightfully mine!"

"I can understand you are upset right now King Mason but we need to keep a cool head if we are going to get her back, it is not the time for rash words that could damage alliances" Greyson smiled at his only son, he had taught him well and Greyson had no doubt Jeremy would be a great king

"I don't give two shits about alliances, you need me Greyson not the other way around and I was promised Elena! If I don't get my property returned to me then it won't be the Salvatore army you have to worry about" Mason was nose to nose with Jeremy now, the younger Gilbert no longer being able to hold his own temper at the way the Lockwood king spoke of his sister

"Elena is not _property _Lockwood and if you dare talk about her like she is again then our alliance is over" Greyson stood up quickly, his hands dividing the two heated men

"Now no need to be rash Jeremy, we are all upset at this deceit. Mason we will get her back as quickly as we can and your wedding can go ahead as soon as she is returned" Jeremy glared at his father but kept his mouth shut, knowing better then to undermine Greyson "Jeremy, send out our fastest messenger to find the Salvatore camp so we can start negotiations"

"We are far past negotiations Greyson!" the older man shook his head frowning

"You and I both know King Lockwood that there are traditions we have to follow, without them there would be no honour in this game we play. We will find out what it is Warlord Salvatore want's and then strategize from there. We need to know their location and what direction they are travelling in" Mason glared, Jeremy nodded and Greyson sat back down, both men knew he was right no matter how much they disliked it.


	6. Matt

Damon sighed as he watched Elena sleep, they had made camp for three day's now and they really needed to start moving again before they became under attack but he couldn't do anything until she awoke. The medics told him that he needed to let her sleep off her injury or else it would become worse so he let her be and focused on plans with his generals but they were becoming agitated with how long they were spending in one place; especially with a hostage. Damon found himself kneeling in front of her and brushing a strand of hair out of her face, she was so peaceful that he was tempted to steal a soft kiss from her but knew better; Elena had a fire to her that he had never seen before in a woman and he had decided he would be the one to tame it, although taming would be the wrong word. He wanted to nurture her strong will and inner fight, he did not want some submissive house wife like all the others offered to him, he wanted someone who could challenge him, he wanted someone who would stand up to him and tell him when he was being unfair. His heart was growing fond of the beauty in front of him as much as he hated to admit it and he would never let it show in front of his army; they would see it as weakness and he suspected Klaus would pounce on it and use it to his benefit. Damon was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard her sigh and he swore that he heard his name, he leant closer down to hear if she would sigh his name again out of her perfect sweet lips. He felt his stomach muscles clench as she said it again and images of her in the throes of passion crossed his mind, if she sounded like that during sex she would drive him crazy. _This girl is going to be the death of me_ he thought as he went against his common sense and lightly pressed his lips against hers, it had been so long since the kiss at the ball and he needed to feel her soft, pink lips upon his again. To lost in his own world he didn't notice her stirring until he felt a sharp slap against the side of his face.

"What the hell do you think you are doing Salvatore?" he rubbed the side of his face and winched _she knows how to pack a punch_.

"Was that really necessary Elena, that's going to bruise" the small framed girl crossed her arms across her chest and glared up at him, his urge to wind her up was rising in him again as her doe brown eye's held more defiance he had ever seen before.

"You had your lips on me while I was _sleeping_! It was completely justified! I am a respectable woman Salvatore and I won't be tainted by your womanising self!" He cocked his head to the side observing her and deciding what to do next. Her words sounded forced and unsure to him and he could have sworn that she was trying to press his buttons

"I couldn't help it, you just looked so peaceful and enchanting my jewel… unlike when you're awake" Elena spluttered at his blatant insult and he knew he had her where he wanted "Really Elena, I have never seen a princess act so…unlady like as you do" he sat down on the bed and she scooted back against the side of the tent to get away from him "What does daddy dearest think about his perfect little princess fighting against every order he gives you?"

"I do not fight against his word Salvatore" her voice wavered, her eyes focused on his crawling movements towards her. He was like a predator stalking a lamb at night. _God I just want to kiss her again_

"Really? Then why were you in your room so early at your engagement ball? From what I assume the first dance would have only just started so you would have had to run out on your…fiancé…in front of everyone, including daddy dearest" his nose was lightly pressed against hers and he knew all he had to do was turn his head slightly to capture her inviting mouth with his again but decided he wanted her to come to him "You ran from him, you ran from your duty"

"It wasn't….I didn't…." he smirked as a blush crept up her cheeks, tainting them a light red colour.

"What's the matter Elena, can't think straight?" her eye's flicked down to his lips and he smirked triumphantly _she wants me to kiss her_ "Answer me beautiful" he watched her lips part and her tongue flicked out to wet her lips, her brown eyes hazed over with want and her breathing was short and laboured

"Damon…" his name rolled off her tongue and Damon felt his control slip, he wanted her to kiss him but the second he heard her sweet voice say his name again it caused him to close the space between them and crush his lips against her wanting ones. He pulled her into his lap possessively and hungrily trailed one hand into her hair and then other down her waist and to one of her thighs. He felt her delicate hands wrap around his neck and pulled her closer into him. Never in his life had one kiss brought him so much satisfaction that he felt it would be a crime to end it especially when Elena was making small moans into it that was driving him insane. He pulled away from her lips, smiling happily when she sighed at the loss of contact only to whimper when he placed soft butterfly kisses along her neck as he placed her under him on the mattress. "Damon…s-stop" he shook his head, annoyed with her suggestion and sucked aggressively at a spot on her collar bone, causing her to arch into him "Damon…there's some outside" he pulled away disappointed and looked down at the dishevelled girl under him, her hair was a mess a splayed all over the place while her usually pink lips were bruised red, his eyes wandered to that dark mark he had placed on her and smiled. _Mine… _

"Excuse me brother but there's a messenger from Mystic Falls here, he's come for the ransom terms" Damon narrowed his eyes, this was not what he wanted to hear when he had Elena panting to catch her breath underneath him. He tore his eyes away from her and glared at his brother angrily who only raised an eyebrow at him in amusement

"I'll be out in soon, take him to my tent" Stephan nodded and left the tent causing Damon to turn his attention back to Elena "I guess we'll have to continue this another time my jewel" a blush flared up her cheeks again and he couldn't stop himself from pressing a light kiss on each cheek.

"What are you planning on doing with me?" a wicked smile graced his face and he felt her hit the back of his head "Not like that you pervert, I mean…what are your terms"

"We both know the terms I send back aren't going to be well received princess, your father will never grant my army passage through your land" she looked at him confused and he felt his heart flutter

"What does that mean for me then…are you going to kill me?" he gaped at her, not once did he consider that she would think he would take her life. He shook his head and got off the bed, straighten himself out

"No Elena, I intend to convince you to marry me" he winked at her and swiftly walked out of the tent, knowing full well he left her even more confused than before. King Gilbert would never give his army permission but if he was married to his precious daughter he would have no choice but to side with him and not that fool Lockwood, It was a wide known fact Grayson Gilbert would do anything to protect his daughters honour.

…..

Elena stared up at the roof of the black and green stripped tent she was in, her chest moved erratically as her body tried to desperately grasp on to air. _He wants to marry me…Damon Salvatore, The Salvatore warlord…_ no matter how many time's she repeated it she couldn't believe it nor accept it. She had heard of his womanising ways, it was wide spread knowledge that he never shared a bed with the same woman twice. Damon Salvatore drew women to him like flies and then once he was done toying with them he threw them aside like broken dolls. Elena grew angry with herself, he had played with her, used her defiance of her engagement against her to get under her skin and cause her to lose her inhibitions. She let out a strangled cry, not only did he manipulate her she now had a great bloody claim mark on her for the world to see _I'll look like a common whore_. She tried to work out once again what angle Damon was playing in marrying her, it was true if she did give him her hand it would cause the Gilbert and Lockwood alliance to fail but what would he gain from that? Elena wasn't sure how her father would react, would he disown her? She shook her head, she would not even entertain these thoughts of marriage to the feared warlord, her father would rescue her and she would somehow find it within herself to fulfil her duty. She would not let herself fall into Damon Salvatore's tangled web of deception and games. The frustrated girl sat up and pressed her feet into the cold grass that the tent covered and put her head in her hands, guilt consuming her over how close she had come to giving herself completely to her kidnapper. She felt so stupid and weak, it couldn't happen again. His sapphire blue eyes flicked into her thoughts and she groaned, she knew all it took was a couple of seconds being lost in those striking orbs and she was putty in his hands. _How the hell can I resist someone who makes my skin burn like its on fire? Who makes me feel more alive than I ever have felt before?_ She raised a hand to her lips a winced, it would take a while for the bruising to go from his aggressive assault. Elena walked to the tent entrance and peaked out curiously, she was forbidden to visit her brother at the mystic falls army camps when he was away so she had never seen what one looked like before. Rows and rows of tents filled her eyesight and she could only assume that she was travelling with about a quarter of Damon's actual force as her brother had told her many tales of its vastness and this camps numbers were nowhere near that. Amongst the plain white, dirtied tents were high flying banners that Elena recognised as the Salvatore insignia, a black, blue eyed dragon breathing fire against a plain green background. Streams of smoke rose into the air from numerous camp fires and she felt her stomach growl with the thought of food, she head shuffling next to her and jumped not noticing a guard standing at the side of the entrance to her tent.

"Are you hungry my lady?" his voice was soft and gentle as if he was trying to not scare her again, she nodded slowly and he bowed "I'll go get you some food, please do not leave the tent, Lord Damon will have my head"

"I promise I won't leave" the man nodded satisfied and head off in the direction of the biggest white tent which she assumed was where they keep the food supplies. Elena thought of running but she had given the man her word and he had been nice enough to offer to get her something to fill her stomach. She went back inside and sat back down on the bed, waiting for him to return when she heard yelling from outside. She poked her head out and saw a familiar blonde head man being escorted by no other then Damon himself.

"Let me see that she isn't harmed! I have been given strict orders to come back with the condition of her wellbeing" the head strong man stopped, causing Damon to turn on his heel and Elena froze, something about Damon's demeanour became threating

"I have told you boy that your princess is fine, not a single hair has been harmed on her head. Unlike Lockwood I treat my captives respectfully" Elena's hand flew over her mouth in shock as she saw her childhood friend throw a punch at the feared warlord and quickly ran out as Damon's long sword was unsheathed and held at the other man's neck

"Damon, please don't!" she grabbed his arm, trying to pull the sword away from her friends throat "Please don't kill him" he glanced over at her quickly sneering and shook his head

"This boy has disrespected me in front of my camp Elena, he has to be punished" she watched in horror as he tipped the messengers head back with the tip carefully so his dull blue eyes looked into Damon's exquisite ones "What is so special about this boy that I should spare him Elena? Is he your lover?"

"How dare you question my honour! Matt has been one of my closet friends since childhood and he was only worried about me! Can you blame him, we have all heard of the horrific, cruel warlord Damon Salvatore and how he treats his hostages!" Elena saw red, Damon was acting like a jealous moron and in the process was calling her virtue into question

"Hostages, yes. You Elena I consider a guest of some sort's and would never be harmed in anyway. To question that would be insulting _my_ honour" Elena frowned, he was right Matt had caused him great offence and Damon had a right to kill him for his disrespect.

"Please Damon" she placed her hand on his arm again, this time softly as if talking to a child "Don't kill him" he stared at her for a while and Elena thought her pleas had fallen on deaf ears but let her breath she was holding out when he lowered his sword

"ALARIC!" a tall, well-built brunette man came running over quickly "Take this fool and teach him a lesson, do NOT kill him but make sure he knows to never question my integrity again" the man called Alaric looked at Damon questionably but nodded, not wanting to further anger his leader and dragged Matt off who was looking at Elena's collar bone _oh dear god, he's going to tell_. Elena gulped as Damon spun towards her and grabbed her chin roughly "Do not interfere in matters like this ever again princess or you will have consequences to pay. I do not like being undermined in front of my men and if I hadn't needed that moron to take back my message he would already have lost his head. Now get back to your tent and do not leave it until I call for you. Got it?" she nodded her head fearfully, now she understood why so many people quivered when he was mentioned. Damon Salvatore was not a man to cross.


	7. Ransom

A/N Wow! Thank you so so so much for the reviews! They put such a massive smile on my face as they were just fantastic, I am so happy with the response to this story I'm going to try aim to write 1-2 chapters a week (Depends on my studies! Have an assignment due in a few weeks' time so sorry if I'm a bit slow with it!) I was so estectic with the response I decided to post another chapter straight away, sorry that theres no Delena in it but there is a small bit of Bonnie Jeremyness!

Much love to you all!

….

Prince Jeremy Gilbert was known as a head strong, determined but impulsive leader to the members of his elite squad. In his father's eyes though he was a fool hearted boy who was ruled by his passions and not by his mind, he constantly felt he was a disappointment to him even though he was expected to take over their realm when Grayson passed away. Jeremy at the moment was consumed by the feeling of being completely helpless ever since his younger sister was taken, a part of him though felt comfort in knowing that she was away from Lockwood. His fiancé and Elena's best friend was currently running her hand through his short but messy brown locks as in an effort to calm him, his frustrations had been getting the better of him as a week and a half went passed and his father made no effort to make a move in retrieving his only daughter.

"Jeremy, she will be fine, you taught her to protect herself and I doubt even the Salvatore warlord was prepared for taking someone with a soul like hers" her soft voice did little to comfort him, yes he was thankful Lockwood didn't have his greedy mitts on her anymore but little was known about the Salvatore brothers. He knew they were the sons of a former king who was stripped of his titles and the many times he had faced the oldest Damon in battle had given him a first-hand glance at relentless man, he had watched him on many occasions take down his men with a mere flick of his sword and nearly had his heart on the end of it himself on a few occasions.

"I know Bon, but we aren't talking about just anyone here. You've heard the rumours, he's a womanising playboy whose veins run thick with revenge. He take's what he wants when he wants and no one has been able to stop him so far" he sat up from his resting position in the dark girls lap and put his head in his hands "What if he's hurt her Bon? She grabbed his face in her hands and forced him to look into her warm brown eyes as if she was trying to reassure him.

"Jer, I have known your sister all my life, even from a young age she was a spitfire and that has not been taught out of her. Whenever I was picked on for my dark skin and abilities she was the first one to stand up for me and always threw the first punch. You taught her to never back down and that even though she is a woman she can protect herself so don't you dare start doubting her now Jeremy Gilbert because she needs you to stay strong for her" he nodded knowing that Bonnie was right, if he started to doubt his sister he was doubting himself and he couldn't do that, he needed to be in the right head space for he could be called into battle any second to save her.

"Your right, have you felt anything?" Bonnie shook her head sadly, wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. Bonnie Bennet had come from a long line of witches and she had taken refuge with the Gilberts when her village was attacked and her grandmother had been murdered. A movement had swept through all realms against any magic as the religious sects had called it heresy; Miranda Gilbert convinced Grayson to appoint Bonnie as the castle's healer to protect her as she saw Bonnie like a daughter to her due to the darker girls close friendship with Elena from childhood.

"Sorry Jer, I've asked the spirits to watch over her and report back to me if she's harmed but so far they have refuse to give me any information…it's like they are trying to stop me from interfering" he placed a kiss on her head and sighed. It seemed like fate had its own agenda for his sister that went against their father's wishes. Their moment was interrupted by shouts of alarm as a horse rode quickly through the gates, a man was slumped over but he had maintained enough consciousness to not fall off and Jeremy ran over noticing that it was one of his best friends Matt "Oh my god! Jeremy quickly, he's going to fall!" Jeremy bolted over to the horse as quickly as he could but Matt had taken a dive off it before her got there, he was face up and breathing as if it hurt.

"Shit Donovan, they really did a number on you" Matt chuckled and tried to sit up but was pushed back down by Bonnie who gave him a scolding look and began to look over his injuries

"I would be dead if it wasn't for your sister Gilbert" he winced when Bonnies hands reached his ribs "Hey that hurts Bon would you quit it"

"Stop whining, she's trying to help you, what did you do to piss Salvatore off" Matt smirked proudly and Jeremy groaned "Please don't tell me you took a swing at him?"

"I got him to, sadly I think his face did more damage to my hand but it was worth it, the asshole wouldn't let me see Lena so I was convinced he had hurt her" He offered his friend a hand and helped him up frowning.

"Was it worth three broken ribs, multiple deep bruises and lacerations because I sure as hell don't think so, it's going to take weeks to heal all this you idiot" Jeremy shrunk back, Bonnie was furious and he was glad that for once it wasn't him on the other end of it. He looked over at the limping man he held up and inspected him. One of his eyes was swollen shut and he had a deep gash at the top of his forehead as well as his nose being at an unusual angle, his hand rested on his left side as if he was cradling a more injured side which could only have been inflicted with heavy boots and his right ankle seemed to be swollen.

"You bet, as I said Elena saved me. Salvatore had his sword at my throat and then Elena ran out, stop him from separating my head from my body" Jeremy stopped walking and looked at Matt hopefully

"S-she's okay?" Matt nodded and smiled before it turned into a frown.

"From what I could see, she had a cut on her head but it look like it was a few days old and she was covered in a bit of filth…" Jeremy saw Matt hesitate as if he was trying to deicide whether or not to continue "She also had this…mark on her collar bone" Jeremy saw red and Matt gasped at his tight grip

"Mark? What kind of mark" Bonnie placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down and shook her head at him

"Jeremy, I have to get Matt to the healer's quarters why don't we have this conversation another time when he's rested?" she sighed and shook her head as he brushed her off, his focus solely on Matt

"It was a lover's mark…" The prince let out a strangled cry, never in a million years did he think he sister would let Salvatore bed her and to hear he had wormed his way into it in such a short time infuriated him

"What the hell is she thinking? She was kidnapped by the low life warlord and now she's warming his bed! Wait till father hears about this, he has to send his army now before anyone else gets wind of this!" Jeremy could care less about the reputation of their kingdom but he cared immensely about his sisters, if Elena had given herself to Salvatore there would be no way she would be able to marry a respectable noble and especially not Lockwood. He looked over to Bonnie who had a small smile on her lips, clearly she didn't feel the same way

"Anyone's better then Lockwood and besides we all know Lena follows her heart, if it's leading her to the warlord who are we to deny her?" he glared at her and shook his head, he knew she was right. He loved his sister dearly and he would give her his full support in any decision she made.

"Look, I only saw the mark we have no idea what's been going on there but I do have to head up to see your father and give him the ransom terms" Bonnie went to object but Jeremy put his hand up

"I'll help him Bon and then will get some servants to help him to the healer's quarters after, this can't wait"

…

King Grayson waited until all men he had summoned was in his office, Matt was sitting in a chair close to the door his exhaustion clearly evident while Jeremy, King Mason and his advisor and brother Jonathan Gilbert, the letter sent with Matt was sitting on the table in front of him unopened.

"Well Gilbert, are you just going to keep looking at it or what" the older man sighed, his future son in law had been really getting on his nerves lately and he hoped that the information inside was enough to get him to travel back to his own realm.

"Before I open it I would like to hear from Matthew first, I want to know where it is they are heading" he motioned for Matt to stay sitting, his injuries clearly making him uncomfortable

"Of course my king, from what could tell they were about a week out from the Forbes settlement so I'm assuming there heading back to Salvatore castle as it's the half-way point…" Matt was interrupted by Mason rudely

"He's taking his whole army back to his realm?" Matt shook his head and Grayson frowned as Mason sneered down at the injured boy

"From what I could tell it's only a fraction of his army, he must have the rest placed somewhere we don't know about yet as there hasn't been any sightings of it" Jeremy stood in front of Mason who looked like he wanted to throw Matt out of the room. Grayson groaned, he felt a headache coming on.

"All of you, sit down. Thank you Matt you may leave now" the blonde boyish man nodded and hobbled his way out as all attention drew back to the letter Grayson now held. He opened it carefully and began to read it out loud "King Grayson, before I write my terms I would just like to say how disappointed I was at your castle defences. I thought a man like you with such a high reputation would give me a bit more of a challenge but alas you let me; The warlord Damon Salvatore slip in and out of your castle with your prized passion so easily that I've come to assume you wanted someone to take her. Which I can't blame you for since no one in their right mind would marry her off to Mason willingly" His hand gripped the paper and it began to shake as he read, this foolish man was mocking him, he looked around the room to compose himself before he continued but didn't miss that his son was trying not to laugh "Now let's get onto what I want shall we, I will regretfully return your prized jewel, Princess Elena for safe passage through your realm so I can continue my campaign into the Lockwood territory to claim what was taken from my family. If you refuse my request I will have no choice but to keep Elena with me as a prisoner of war" he looked up again, King Lockwood was glaring at the letter and Grayson knew that if he wanted his own Kingdom to keep standing he had to decline the request "There's nothing more after that…"

"I will be returning home tonight to prepare my army, choose your side carefully" his voice was cold and threating and Grayson nodded

"Our allegiance is with you King Lockwood, Salvatore will not be granted passage through my lands" he heard Jeremy start to object and knew that his son would hate him for choosing Mason over his own daughter "Just bring my daughter back Mason and you will have your wedding"

"Good choice King Gilbert, I would have hated to turn such a beautiful realm into rubble" he turned on his heel and left the three Gilberts to themselves

"Father! What about Elena are you just going to leave her to rot?" Grayson ignored his son, to lost in his own thoughts "This is your only daughter! Why are you subjecting her to this, we both know she could be killed agreeing to this warfare!" a sharp slap rang out and Grayson looked up, his brother was standing over his nephew angrily

"Do not question your father boy, one life is not worth that of thousands. Yes she is your sister but your father has an entire kingdom to protect, stop being a brat and let him do his job properly" he chose not to say a word, John had said it for him. He loved his daughter dearly but he had seen what Lockwood was capable of and he had to protect his people. He also knew Lockwood was going to use his daughter as a reason to advance into Salvatore territory and he could only hope that she got out unharmed.

"You've chosen the wrong side this time father and for it you've damned us all"


	8. Andie

A/N WARNING! This chapter is a little bit dark so just a heads up!

…

The Forbes settlement was a small township in between Mystic Falls and The Salvatore realm, it was run by a small but tough older blonde haired, blue eyed woman named Elizabeth Forbes. She had taken over when her husband had passed away and her daughter Caroline had moved on to work at the Salvatore castle for protection so she opened her gates happily to the army fraction lead by Damon. Elena remembered coming here when she was younger before the war had begun with her mother as her and Elizabeth use to be close friends and she felt a glimmer of hope rise up in her, if Damon let her see her maybe she could convince the compassionate women to help her escape. Damon hadn't spoken a single word to her since the incident with Matt a week ago and she was starting to feel anxious and walked around as if she was walking on egg shells. She took Stephan's hand to get off the horse they had both been riding on and looked up to an unfamiliar building, it was a three storied brick looking kind of tavern and she could hear upbeat music being played along with shouting and laughter. She waited for instruction from Stephan, not wanting to draw attention to herself but he had disappeared and a tall blonde haired, brown eyed woman sauntered out, her arms open and walking towards Damon, what struck Elena the most was her clothing. Her dress was a red satin corset that pushed up her breasts to a ridiculous height on her chest and Elena swore if she bent over in the slightest they would come tumbling out of it, her long golden legs were shown off by a ruffled skirt that had a slit up the side and no petticoat underneath. She had seen women like these in her kingdom and her mother advised her to stay away from them for even an association with them would bring a dark spot against her name. Elena found herself glaring at the over confident woman as she placed a kiss on Damon's lips and engulfed him in a hug before they entered into a conversation that she couldn't hear. As quickly as the women came she was gone back inside the building and Damon walked over to her, all she wanted to do was to slap him as she felt a sting of betrayal

"Come on, Andie's going to get a bath ready for you and a new dress so you can finally get all that mud off you" Elena stood her ground, shook her head and refused to move

"I am not going into a place like that" he towered over her, an angry glint in his eye

"I do not have to be nice to you Elena, I am offering you a place to have a warm bath and a soft bed for the night" he grabbed her arm but she yanked away from him wincing, that was defiantly going to bruise

"A women of my statue never enters a whore house" his glare made her blood run cold and she knew she had hit a nerve in him, she was confused as why he had become so hostile towards her

"These women Elena are only doing what they need to survive, they have no other means of attaining money and unlike you they weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths. At least in an establishment such as this one they have a place to do their trade safely and without worrying about having their throats slit in some dark alleyway" he grabbed her arm again and Elena this time didn't object, his words sinking into her head. She had never thought about why they sold their bodies before, she had always assumed it was a choice "Your just a spoilt little brat who thinks the world is all glitter and gold but I can tell you Elena these women are the most interesting, strong and resilient people I have ever met in my life and they deserve a lot more respect, especially from a spoilt princess who knows nothing of the hardship of real life" Elena said nothing, he was right, these women didn't have to offer her a bath or a new dress and yet they were willing to give up precious clean water to someone they didn't even know.

"I'm sorry Damon" he nodded and lead her inside where she kept her head down, ashamed that she had thought of other human beings as if they were beneath her. The thick air contaminated with smoke and whiskey smells hit her nose and she coughed, her eyes burnt and she heard someone laugh at her. At the bottom of the stairs was the woman Damon had called Andie, she looked her over a smug look on her face as if she had judged herself above Elena and for the first time in her life Elena felt small and intimidated by another woman.

"Your bath should be ready soon, I'll have one of the girls show you to your room for the night" her brown eyes were focused solely on Damon and Elena began to feel jealous again, she was certain they had be intimate before and it was obvious she planned to be again. A small black haired girl came up to her smiling and took her hand as if they were friends; Elena looked over to Damon who nodded and walked over to the bar while she let the smaller girl lead her up the red carpeted stairs and into a room with a medium size bed and small steel tub.

"You must be special to be travelling with Damon" the girls voice was cheerful and held a hint of curiosity as she put her hand in the tub water to test the temperature

"Does he come here often?" she didn't know why she bothered to ask as she didn't particularly want to know the answer but her insecurities were getting the better of her. The girl nodded in acknowledgement and turned her back as Elena stripped and hopped into the tub quickly

"Every now and then, he owns this place" the girl started to wash the dirt out of Elena's hair with some lavender oil and soap but continued talking "Andie run's it and he comes and checks that everything is running smoothly and that there hasn't been to many incidents"

"What do you mean incidents?" her heart saddened at the thought of the girl helping her being hurt, she seemed lovely even though she did talk a lot

"Every now and then you get one psycho but that just comes with the job, when Damon established this place it was a god send. Before this place…girls would frequently go missing or die from starvation, now were guaranteed protection from the guard's he placed here and three hot meals a day which comes out of our pay every week" Elena became lost in her thoughts, she began to see that Damon did have a heart after all and the stories of how cruel and cold he was seemed to be crumbling the closer she got to his realm. Not only did he not judge these women for their occupation he had built them a place to do it without fear and given them a home of some sorts

"Is there something between Damon and Andie?" the girl went silent and moved away from the tub as if she was uncomfortable. Elena turned in the tub to look at her and saw her playing with a dress that was on the bed as if she was trying to pat out the wrinkles in it

"There was, he use to come visit her quite a bit but she became too attached to him and he ended it…she's been a bitch ever since, it's bearable but most of the girls just try stay out of her way. I would be careful if I was you though" she knitted her brows together, why would she have to be careful? "He's never brought anyone but his men here before, she'll see you as a threat"

"I'm not a threat, I want nothing to do with him I just want to go home" she saw the girl frown, confused at Elena's reply

"If you aren't together then why are you travelling with him?" Elena was torn, she wanted to tell the girl the truth but she couldn't bring herself to shatter the saviour image she had of the man who kidnapped her

"He's helping me get home, I was kidnapped by some men and managed to escape" she smiled weakly, the girl obviously happy at her response

"Don't worry Damon's great at protecting people, you'll be home in no time…" she cut off her sentence obviously wanting her name

"Elena, my name's Elena" she sunk into the tub and began to scrub the dirt of her with a piece of linen

"My name's April, I'm just in the room to your left if you need anything else" Elena nodded and watched her leave the room with a bounce in her step and she wondered how the girl managed to stay so happy in her situation.

….

Damon stared down at the drink in his hand and gulped the harsh tasting whiskey down quickly, motioning for the bar tender to pour another but decided he might as well just keep the whole bottle in front of him. He was feeling bad for talking so harshly to Elena, it wasn't her fault she had grown up in such a sugar coated world and it must have been a shock to find out what their accommodation was going to be. He poured himself another nip and downed it just as quickly as the first. He hadn't said a single word to her all week, not that he didn't want to he just didn't know what to say, he had heard her sobbing the day after her friend was sent home battered and bruised and he was certain she would have heard his painful screams; the man had insulted him so why did he feel so bad for it?. He felt a hand slid over his shoulder and down to his chest where it stayed and Andie slipped into the seat next to him reeking of too much perfume.

"What's eating you?" Damon shoved her hand off him and had another drink, not wanting to encourage her advances, sure she was attractive but he couldn't entertain her romantic notions of a relationship with him anymore; especially because Elena had consumed his thoughts

"Leave me alone Andie, I'm not in the mood" she slid the same hand as before onto his thigh and leaned forward so she was closer to him

"Come on baby, you know I'm always here to talk to" he glared at her but didn't move her hand which she took as a sign to close even more space between them. "You're so tense, is it because of that girl?"

"Watch it Andie, I may consider you a friend but I have my limits" the slim faced woman glared at him and pulled her hand back as if he had burnt her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at her "I'm sorry, it's just been a long journey so far, I'm exhausted"

"Oh baby, let me help you relax like old times" he shook his head, Andie was persistent when she wanted to be and he knew if he didn't escape from her company soon he would probably cave just to get her to leave him alone

"I'd rather not Andie, I think I'm just going to head up to bed so I'm rested for tomorrow" he went to stand but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth against his. Damon went to push her away but then groaned, it had been a long time since he had been in bed a woman and his last encounter with Elena had left him completely frustrated.

"Come on, just one last time" his eyes were hooded and he nodded, what was the harm?

…

Elena frowned at the dress on the bed, it was like the one she had seen Andie wear but in green and never in a million years would she wear something like this but it was either the dress or the towel she was wearing as April had taken her dress and throw it away as it was unsalvageable. She reluctantly put it on and looked at herself in the mirror, the corset was tied at the front and had squished everything upwards so her small b cup now looked like a full c but surprisingly it didn't feel like it was cutting her in two at the waist which she was thankful for. The Skirt was a soft silk which a ruffle down the bottom and a slit at the side which once again she was thankful that it wasn't all the way up so she felt she had some decency left. Her Brown hair flowed down her back in damp curls and her face finally was dirt free showing of her natural glowing skin, she frowned though as she couldn't help feel like she looked cheap. Her attention was drawn to loud noises down the hall and she began to wonder what they were, she hadn't heard anything like it before except when she had helped bonnie in the healer's wing. She decided to see if someone needed help much to the dismay of a voice in the back of her screaming at her to stay in her room, she followed the sounds down to the end of the hallway and found the door it was coming from. She could hear a man groaning and what sounded like a woman whimpering loudly and she peeked her head in to check that the woman was okay but let out a gasp. Damon whirled around, his eyes wide and he quickly got off Andie who was looking at her as if she had won some kind of game.

"E-Elena, I can explain" before he could say anymore Elena took off down the hallway, ignoring his desperate pleas for her to stop and ran as quickly as she could out of the building and down the street, tears burned in her eyes and her chest felt constricted. "Elena!" his voice seemed to close so she ducked into an alley and slid down the wall, wrapping her arms around her knees and sobbing into them. She felt so stupid, she should have known better to think that he cared for her at all, she was just another conquest to him and all he wanted was to use her to get to her father. She didn't know how long she sat there for but she suddenly felt like she had to move. Elena stood to her feet slowly, her body feeling as if it was going to collapse under her from sheer exhaustion. She rested herself on the wall before starting to move the way she came but an arm grabbed her, slamming her into the wall violently. She groaned in pain and looked up at a filthy looking man who held her a sinister sneer on his lips

"Looky what I have here, a pretty little whore" Her eyes widened in fear and she struggled against him but he just laughed and put a small blade to her throat

"P-please, let me go" he shook his head and focused his attention on her corset which her ran his knife over, tearing the top of the ribbon the held it together "Please, I'm not a prostitute!"

"If you ain't one then why are you dressed like one?" his question hit her like a ton of bricks and she began to struggle harder, her screams for help silenced when he pressed the knife into her throat drawing blood "Shut up or I'll gut you"

"P-please, I can get you money, as much as you want, m-my fathers a king" the man ignored her pleas and kissed her neck roughly, making her want to vomit in disgust

"Royalty ae? I've never had a princess before" violent sobs wracked her body as he roughly pulled her dress up and she let out a blood curdling scream of despair, this man was going to rape her and probably kill her as well. Her mind shut down to protect itself and she felt her body go limp, she was going to die in a dark alleyway and no one knew where she was. She was suddenly dropped to the ground and heard a sicking crack of the man's head on the brick wall behind him. Elena looked up to find Damon standing over the man, his chest heaving as he continually kicked him in the stomach before pulling out his sword and diving it into the man's chest.

"D-Damon" she croaked out, her throat felt raw from screaming and crying causing her to wince, he turned around to her, his eyes softening and she ran into his arm's and grasping his clothes as if he was about to die "H-he was g-going to…" she felt his hand pat her hair in a comforting manor before he picked her up bridal style and hugged her into his chest making shushing sounds

"I'm here now Elena, he won't touch you again" she cried into his chest, her tears flowing freely soaking his shirt.

….

Damon walked quickly back to Andie's, cradling Elena as if she would disappear again any second. He was furious with himself for letting his northern body part's control him and causing Elena to be put in harm's way, his guilt ate away at him and he wanted to get her into bed so he could go out and find a fight to release it; killing the man that did this to his jewel was not enough to douse the fury in him. He slammed open the doors to the downstairs bar, ignoring the stares of his men and their night's company and looked directly at Andie who was standing at the stairs her hand over her mouth in shock

"Damon I…Is she okay?" she ran over to him and placed a hand on his arm which he pulled away quickly and sneered down at her making her shrink away.

"Don't you ever lay a hand on me again or I'll cut it off myself" she staggered backwards, her mouth hanging open in disbelief and ran up the stairs without looking back. Damon felt his skin crawl where she had touched him and shuddered causing the now sleeping girl in his arms to whimper "Alaric?"

"How can I help Damon?" his long-time friend and most trusted general looked down at the girl in Damon's arms sadly "She wasn't?"

"Nearly, I found her in time. Go to Liz's for me and ask her for some of Caroline's old dresses would you" Alaric nodded and quickly disappeared while Damon called over April "Find something suitable for her to sleep in and come up to the room, I need you to help her get changed"

"Should I bring up a jug of water to?" he nodded then made his way up to the room she had been given for the night and sat at the end of the bed, he didn't want to wake her until he had to so he waited until April came back with a nightgown. Damon frowned and April shrugged in reply, it was a bit see through but he guessed it was the less revealing thing in this place.

"Elena, wake up you need to get changed" he smiled when he felt her shake her head against him and rubbed her forehead as a mother would a child "You have to get out of these clothes or you'll be stiff tomorrow"

"Please, don't leave me" he sighed and stood her up before pulling her into a quick hug

"I'll be right outside that door okay and the second Aprils finished helping you I'll be right back" Elena nodded reluctantly and his heart clenched again, she looked like she was going to fall any second. He waited outside the door, pacing back and forth until April came out closing the door quietly behind her

"I've put her in bed and cleaned up the grazes, they shouldn't get infected but I'd keep an eye on the cut on her neck" Damon nodded her in thanks and enter the room again, any thoughts of leaving her to find a fight left him the second he saw her. She was curled up in a ball, her fist's clinging to the blanket on top of her like a baby would. Elena was far from the feisty, head strong girl he had seen when she pleaded for her friend's life. This was a fragile and scared girl who had experienced her first real taste of the cruelty that was in the world, she had been tainted by darkness and he knew it would take a while for her to recover from it. He climbed under the blanket with her and wrapped his arms around her and he couldn't help but think how perfectly she fitted against him.

"I'm so sorry Damon, I should never have run away like that" he kissed her on the back of her head and sighed, he had been a complete idiot and she was apologising when he was in the wrong

"No Elena, it's was my fault and I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you like that" she rolled over to face him and he cringed, her cheeks were stained from her salted tears and her eyes were bloodshot "I'll never let you out of my sight again Elena" he pulled her tightly against him again and placed a light kiss on her forehead "As long as I'm around no one will ever hurt you again, I swear it on my life"

"Thank you for saving me" her voice was barely a whisper and he waited until her breath evened out for him to close his eyes but before he let sleep take him he made a promise to himself that he would keep her safe and protect her from the evils in the world.


	9. Archery and an agreement

A/N: Sorry for not updating last week, I do plan to update twice a week but I was an idiot last week and left my uni assignment to the last minute so was working my ass of on that! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

….

It had taken a two weeks to arrive at the Salvatore kingdom and Elena was exhausted, she had had little sleep since being attacked as she constantly had the images replaying her in head, wearing her down. At night it had been worse, her dreams were plagued by the man but every night Damon had come into her tent and held her which seemed to keep the nightmares at bay. She could tell he was uncomfortable with it as it looked suspicious to his camp but in truth it was completely innocent, Damon had not made an advancement towards her since that day and she was grateful. She looked up at the giant wooden gates that were on levers to open and gasped, her kingdoms walls were like picket fencings compared to the Salvador's kingdoms 20 foot high stone masonry that completely hid the inner city from view; cannons lined the top of it, each manned with two men and two archers each side and Elena couldn't help but feel small and tried to shrink back against Damon's chest.

"Do not be afraid Elena, My defences are high because I only wish to protect all those under my rule" his voice was soft a reassuring yet she still felt overwhelmed with the sheer dominance of the walls. She watched the gates wide eyed as they opened and revealed the inner city and took in the joyous city. Within the cold walls was a bright, joyous and clearly thriving city that she had not been expecting, throughout the land there were tales of oppression and poverty and the city in front of her clearly was the opposite

"The rumours are false, everyone here seems to be prospering" Damon chuckled behind her, amused at her thoughts that she had meant for only her mind. He leant down to whisper in her ear and she shivered at how close he was to her

"Rumours I started Elena, I want the world to see me as a cruel warlord with a dying region, this way I have the upper hand as my forces are greatly underestimated" she nodded, he was right; Lockwood would be in for a rude awakening if he was expecting a rundown settlement that was assumed to be easily conquered. The smell of freshly baked goods wafted to her nose and she looked to her left spotting a small but busy bakery, happy children lined the window staring at the neatly decorated cakes and deciding which one they would buy with the money they had pooled together. She turned to Damon and asked him to stop which he looked at her quizzically but allowed her to dismount, she walked over to the children and knelt down to get their attention

"They all look lovely don't they?" a little boy to the left of her nodded, his brown hair shaggy and large brown eyes filled with excitement

"We can't decide miss! We all want different things but we only have enough money to buy one to share" a little girl tugged on her arm, drawing her attention to her, these children were clearly lower class yet not in poverty.

"I want the pretty pink one miss but they all say it's to girly" the other children nodded, clearly disapproving at her choice.

"Well, how about you all pick one each and I will get them for you?" all four children jumped up in excitement, throwing themselves into her arms for a hug

"Would you really do that for us miss!" a second boy spoke up, clearly not believing in her kindness. She felt Damon come up behind her and they kneeled down, bowing their heads

"My lord, we meant to disrespect…" Elena stood to her feet, her arms crossed at him disrupting her

"Do you have any money Elena?" she had expected him to tell her to stop being foolish like her father would have. _He's offering me money?_

"Yes Damon, I keep an emergency pouch in my petticoat, just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I like taking things for free" he smiled at her snappy tone, Elena hated people thinking she relied on her status.

"Are you really a princess!" it was the little girl, excitement clearly evident in her voice. Elena nodded and offered her hand to her so they could walk into the shop together.

"Yes, I am. Come one, let's get you all a treat each and some bread for you to take home for you families" the four boys rushed into the shop, Elena and the little girl following. The baker looked at them distastefully which Elena brushed off, he probably though they would just dirty his shop rather than paying customers. He bowed quickly though when Damon entered, clearly intrigued by Elena's actions "I'll have five loaves of your freshest baked bread please, the little pink cake in the window and whatever these four boys want" The baker quickly went around grabbing the order, not wanting to displease his lord who nodded at him in a make it quick way. Elena took the food and handed a loaf to each child then their treats which they all took happily giving her another hug "Now when your parent's ask about the bread tell them they are a gift from your king alright, don't mention me and don't mention the sweet's I don't think they would be too happy with you eating before dinner time" they all nodded and quickly rushed out of the store and she put two gold coins with her family seal on the counter, the baker raised an eyebrow but said nothing, he knew better than to question it.

"Was it really necessary to bring me into that Elena, I don't want my people to start thinking I give out charity like that" Elena shrugged, she couldn't care less about his image. For the first time since the incident she had felt like herself and started to feel less fragile

"It was either that or people find out I'm here and could get back to Mason" Damon nodded, clearly impressed with her thinking, she was right; Lockwood had spies everywhere and he didn't want him to know where they were until he was sure his army was up to the task he had in his mind.

"Come on, the sooner we get to the castle the sooner you can rest, it's been a long trip and I'm sure you would like a proper bed to sleep in for once" He held out his arm for her and she took it happily, her exhaustion was getting the better of her and she was happy for the support her offered.

…..

Damon watched her carefully as she had interacted with the children at the bakery, his heart felt that familiar tug on it that he had been experiencing since he had first laid his eyes on her. He knew that she was different from other noble women he had meet but he never thought that she would be kind enough to interact with lower class, especially the children that many people turned their noses up at and referred to them as riffraff. Yes his kingdom was prosperous but they still had a class system that was thoroughly stuck to much to his dislike _maybe, just maybe she can change that_. He shook his head brushing his thoughts aside, he couldn't start thinking like that, yes his feelings had been growing for her and for once in his life he had been content with just holding a woman in bed rather than other nightly activities but he had to remember she was just a pawn in the game called war, weakness would be punished as he had seen many times. He helped her on the horse, his heart once again grown warm as she leant back into him and he couldn't help but nuzzle into her hair sighing. _It feels so right having her in my arms_.

"Damon…do you think it would be okay if I could do some archery when we reach your castle…" he furrowed his brows together, if he let her get a hold of a weapon she could try to escape and hurt his men, which he could not spare a single one.

"I don't think that is wise Elena…" he stared straight ahead to the castle gates, feeling remorse seep into him, he didn't want to say no to her and wished he could grant her every request.

"I promise I won't try to escape, you can even be there I just…ever since that man I've felt so weak, I feel like I have no control of anything, even my own dreams" he went stiff, this was the first time she had mentioned that night and his guilt stung him full force "At home archer was the only thing that made me feel like I had any control over anything, I just…if I could practice again I feel I could stop being so afraid, I could have control back of myself. Please Damon, I can't feel this weak anymore" he couldn't help but relate to what she was saying, as a young boy he felt completely controlled by his father, he had no choice in his life and he had felt like he had been drowning in his father expectations. Like Elena he had found solace in something but for him it was picking up a sword and fighting and his dedication eventually helped him climb the ranks and get him to where he was today

"If it will help you then I guess it will be alright, only for half an hour though Elena, I don't know if I trust you not to try escape" he felt Elena's sunken shoulders regain posture and happiness radiated off her and he didn't doubt that if they weren't on his horse she would be hugging him right now.

"Thank you Damon, you have no idea how much that mean's to me" he nodded, not saying a word _If only you knew Elena, we are more alike than you realise._

…..

Elena woke up the next day hurriedly and searched through the wardrobe in the room Damon had given her, he had been very prepared for her arrival and had filled the closet with numerous dressing attire and much to her excitement he had given her one plain dress that wouldn't affect her archer. He hadn't slept with her last night, he had business to attend to he said and she tossed and turned all night, the man hadn't appeared in her dreams this time which she hoped after today would continue. She pulled her hair into a simple ponytail, not caring if she looked messy, the thought of a bow in her hands again as what was important. There was a knock on the door and Damon poked his head in, smiling at her as he took in her appearance, obviously he was pleased with her simple look.

"Ready to go?" she nodded enthusiastically and followed him out of the castle to an empty archery area with a bounce in her step. "I've made sure no one will enter here for half an hour so you have the place to yourself" she felt a part of her become disappointed, Jeremy always practiced with her and it always gave her a sense of accomplishment when she beat him.

"Will you practice with me?" he nodded slowly and her smile spread, she knew that he assumed she wasn't very good and he was in for a surprise "We could make a game out of it, every time I win a round I get to ask a question and you have to answer honestly, if you win you get a question"

"You really think you can beat me?" she put a hand on her hip, her lips pursed and nodded, clearly his obnoxious side had come out

"Of course I can Damon, just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't be good with a bow" he chuckled and handed her a set of arrows and she put it on so the strap was sideways again her front and he did the same. He handed her a bow a cheeky smile on his face, he was clearly amused

"Alright princess let's see what you've got" She nodded and walked over to the white line and grabbed an arrow from her back and rested the tip just in front of her two fore fingers, balancing it as she pulled the bow string back so it was pressed into her check. Her arm was perfectly straight, inline to the direction she wanted the arrow to go and took a deep breath in. She slowly let her breath out a released the arrow with a plucking sound and frowned when it hit the inner circle, an inch away from the bulls eye "Not bad, but I'm afraid I win this round" Elena went to object but before she could open his mouth he had realised his arrow which hit the bulls eye but was slightly off centred

"Alright, what do you want to know?" she could see him thinking and she couldn't help but think it was cute when he looked like he was concentrating

"Who taught you archery?" Elena was taken aback, she swore he would take this chance to ask her something inappropriate

"My brother Jeremy, he would take out to the forest whenever we had time off from our studies since I was a little girl. I had always seen him practice and ad asked father to teach me but he said it wasn't for girls, Jeremy saw how sad I was and taught me in secret" Damon nodded, she could see he was impressed with her, after all it wasn't every day a woman asked to be taught how to wield a weapon. She raised her bow again, this time taking her time as she was determined to hit the bull's eye like she had done many times in the past. She clapped her hands when she won and Damon frowned

"Lucky shot" Elena's musical laugh filled the air _men and their ego's_

"Don't be a sore loser Damon, alright my turn" many thought's passed through her head, one more prominent then the others but she didn't want to ruin the fun they were having so decided to ask that one later

"Will I get to see Caroline sometime this week?" she hoped she would, she and Caroline were childhood friends but she hadn't seen her for years and she missed her.

"I can ask her if she wants to be your lady in waiting if you like?" she nodded enthusiastically, it would be nice to have someone she knew around, she had a feeling Damon wouldn't have a lot of time to spend with her. The two continued their contest, each winning an even amount of times which Elena couldn't help but laugh about as Damon's pride seemed to be getting the better of him. But each time she won the main question she wanted to know nagged at her and she knew it was now or never as she had just won again

"Damon…" she turned to him and sat down on the grass which he copied, she picked up a piece of grass and began to pull it apart in hopes to avoid his gaze.

"What is it Elena?" he sounded concerned and she bit her lip, she couldn't figure out a way to ask without being blatant

"Why did you say you wanted to marry me? And remember you have to answer me honestly" she looked into his eyes, uncertainty crossed across them and he was hesitant

"I need your father's alliance and safe passage through mystic falls to win this war and the only way I can do that is by giving him a reason to side with me" she lay down in the grass, feeling slightly deflated, her brown hair splayed out behind her. Of course it was about war and she was just another pawn in the brutal game

"I see…And do I have a choice in this?" he lay down beside her, his head next to hers and she felt him nod

"Of course you do Elena, I would never force you into something you didn't want to do" She sat up, and leant over him. Anger rose up in her and all she wanted to do was slap him

"How can you say that when you took me from my home against my will!" she felt his arms wrap around her and she let out a small squeak as he flipped her over so he was hovering over her, his eyes piercing into hers

"That's different Elena, with you here I have the upper hand but I would never force you into anything that you didn't want to do, you have a choice in this. If you don't agree then I will figure out another way" she was shocked, for the first time someone had given her a choice. Someone was giving her control of her life and she felt a strong appreciation towards Damon who was still staring at her with his intense blue sapphire eyes.

"Then Damon, I'm going to have to decline-"he growled at her, clearly frustrated but Elena put her finger up to his lips to hush him "Damon, for the first time you have given me a choice and I thank you. For now I am saying no because if I'm going to be honest with myself I do not want to marry for someone's political gain, my whole life I have seen people choose who they want to marry out of love and yet I had that choice taken away from me. I want love Damon, I want to marry someone who I love and who loves me back and until that day then I will continue to say no. If you want to marry me Damon then we are going to do this the right way and IF you tell me you love me in the future and mean it then and only then will I say yes" he looked at her, his answer ticking over in his head and he pushed himself up offering her his hand, she took it and was pulled into him where he tipped her head up so their eyes met again

"I accept your terms Elena, but I promise you that by the end of this you will be my wife" he placed a soft kiss on her head and she wrapped her arms around him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Thank you Damon, thank you for giving me a choice"

…..


	10. Caroline and dark plots

A/N just because i feel so bad for not updating last week i'll give you a second one today! you guys are all awesome especially my reviewers who keep me wanting to update so much!

...

Caroline ran her brush through her blonde hair quickly, Damon had just left after informing her of her new duties and she couldn't be more excited, her best friend was here and what was better was that she got to spend all day with her every day. They had so much to catch up on the Caroline didn't even know where to start. She ran out of her room without looking, making her way down the hall's as fast as she could and ignoring the yells of disapproval at her. She finally reached Elena's room and flung the door open and tackling the startled brunet.

"I can't believe you're here Lena! You have to tell me everything missy, what have you been up to, how's your family, why are you here!" she felt Elena pat her on the back a few times and Caroline let go of her although she bounced from foot to foot

"Calm down Care! I'll tell you everything just give me a minute to get dressed okay?" a blonde bang feel in front of her eyes and she brushed it away as she examined the slim girl in front of her

"You haven't been eating properly Lena, what's causing you so much stress?" she sat at the end of Elena's bed as her friend stepped behind the changing shutter. Caroline had never been one to avoid the hard questions and always got straight to the point, a trait that annoyed Damon to no end.

"It's been a rough month Care, I don't even know where to begin but how about we get some breakfast and I'll explain over that?" she was happy with that answer, getting food into her oldest friend was her main priority after seeing her shrunken form

"Sound's good to me Lena, need any help?" Elena stepped out from behind the shutter and shook her head, she was in a simple long blue gown that hugged her curves softly and had her hair in natural waves

"Already done, let's go, I'm starving" Caroline nodded and opened the door, Elena quickly followed her so they could walk side by side

"I heard you were marrying Lockwood" Elena laughed at her and nodded her head. Caroline scowled disapprovingly

"Well…was would be a better word for it. Things have changed…" the blonde girl looked at her friend, a knowing smile on her face. When Damon had come to visit her about Elena she could sense the brunet had gotten under his skin.

"Does it have anything to do with a black hair, blue eyed warlord by any chance missy?" a blush crept up Elena's cheeks and she nodded, Caroline only chuckled, it seemed Damon had had the same effect of her "How did you to meet anyway, was it romantic? Did he sweep you off your feet and get you to run away with him?"

"You're such a romantic Care but no, I've been kidnapped actually" Caroline stopped in her tracks, gaping at Elena and then she felt anger rise up in her. Sure Damon had taken her in, treated her like family and protected her but Elena was her best friend

"He did WHAT, I'll kill him, that sneaky little bastard!" Elena raised her hands to stop Caroline from ranting but Caroline ignored her and continued "Stupid, little, immature idiot! What was he thinking! Your family must be beside themselves and your mother, jesus your mother must be having a heart attack!"

"Care! It's okay really! In all honesty I would rather be here…" she trailed off her eye's and the floor, Caroline knew her friend well enough to see that she was troubled and pulled her into a hug "I guess, I guess he saved me in a way, if he hadn't kidnapped me I'd be making wedding plans and been shipped off to that pig Mason by now" Caroline became angry again, she hated Mason with a passion for if it wasn't for him she would be married to his cousin Tyler but when he became king he had torn the two lovers apart and married Tyler off to another woman called Hayley. It had broken Caroline's heart and she had fled, fearing that Mason would try to tie up loose ends

"I can't believe they would betroth you to that poor excuse of a man, haven't they heard any of the rumours about him! About how he treats women?" they began to walk again, Elena remained silent as she thought over what Caroline had said. They reached the dining hall and Caroline was thankful it was empty, she didn't want anyone to ruin her reunion with Elena "Hey I'm sorry for bringing that up, I know it must be hard"

"It is, but I guess they were just trying to do what was best" Caroline pursed her lips together _she always makes excuses for them_ "But like I said, I'm here now and Damon isn't that bad"

"So what is going on between you two? Should I be shopping for a bridesmaid gown?" Elena chocked on her drink at Caroline's bluntness again. She went to reply but shook her head slowly

"I, We're going to do things the right way" this time Caroline was the one to choke on her drink.

"You got Damon Salvatore, The great man whore warlord to court you?" Elena nodded her head again, her eyes holding uncertainty "I never thought I would see the day, whatever you're doing Elena it must be working because that in itself is a miracle"

…

Elena couldn't help but smile at Caroline, even though she had made her feel uneasy as she confirmed her suspicions about how many women Damon had been with she couldn't help but feel lighter about everything, having a friend to vent to was the best gift she could have ask for.

"Sorry Lena that sounded really bad. I love Damon like he was my own brother and I just thought I'd never see the day when he would actually meet someone he thought was worth his time. All the other women couldn't hold his attention at all, he didn't treat them badly though I think he just like's being challenged" Caroline tapped her fingers on her lips thoughtfully as if she was trying to remember something

"Penny for your thoughts?" the blonde girl looked up at Elena, a serious look on her face

"Elena, you're the first girl he has taken an interest in since Katerina. And I know Damon like I know the back of my own hand and that means he's pretty serious about you so don't stuff it up okay. He may act all big and scary but deep down he want's what we all want and if you treat him right he'll do the same" she felt her body grow warm and she knew she had made the right choice in giving him a chance, his past didn't matter to her, she wanted to get to know him, the real him.

"Who's Katerina?" she avoided her gaze as if she didn't want to answer her but Elena knew she would talk. A part of her didn't want to know, she could already tell it was a sore subject.

"She was an orphan that Damon's father took in, the two brother's both feel in love with her and she played them pretty badly. She messed them around for years and ruined their bond so badly they began to turn on each other. One day Damon caught them together and he lost it, he went to his father and demanded for him to kick her out, Stefan protested but their father agreed with Damon, she was trouble and he saw what she was doing. Katerina lashed out, she went to the Lockwood's and she gave them information about the Salvatore kingdom that Mason's father used to take most of their land and Katerina, she snuck back into the castle and she…she killed their mother in revenge, she took the one thing away from their father that she knew would destroy him. King Salvatore lost it, he killed Katerina and blamed his two sons, banishing them from their land. The kingdom fell to ruin as the king was driven into madness but Damon and Stephan stayed together, they fixed their bond and when their father passed they took over and began to build everything back up to the way it used to be and Damon made it his mission to take back all the land the Lockwood's took and to end the Lockwood's reign as well" When Caroline finished the room was eerily silent, Elena didn't know what to say and once again she had been given an insight into the man she was beginning to grow fond of "Elena, the one thing Damon hates most is sympathy, he's accepted his part he played in what happened and he hates it when people feel sorry for him. He is a proud man and he will not be satisfied until the Lockwood legacy is burned to the ground so you need to promise me to not get involved with that side of things any more then you are…I can't lose you as well"

"Care, you won't ever lose me again. I can't promise to not get involved but I will restrain myself, I can see now that his is more than just a petty war and if 'm honest I want nothing more than to see Mason go down in flames, he has oppressed our lands for far too long" she reached across the table and squeezed Caroline's hand reassuringly and Elena knew that she was exactly where she needed to be.

….

Mason Lockwood sat on his throne, a bored look on his face as he waited for his guest to arrive. He had been shocked when the person had approached him but the man's ideas had intrigued him enough to grant him an audience. No one else knew of the meeting and he had made sure that any loose ends tonight would be eliminated quickly. A man walked through the gold adorned doors of the hall with a hooded robe over him, he was careful in not showing his identity till he felt the time was right in fear he would be found out. Mason held out his hand and the man rushed up, kneeled and kissed his crest ring

"My King, thank you for granting me an audience with you" Mason nodded, he hated such pleasantries as he would rather just get down to the grit of things

"Let's cut the chase, I want to know what you were talking about when you approached me, how can I win this war?" the man bowed and stood up, the shadows hiding his eyes as he talked

"King Lockwood, I offer to you an army that will march straight to the warlord's front doorstep, I just like you am sick of waiting around for him to attack us and loosing time and time again. I'm suggesting a full frontal siege, it's widely known his land is decrepit and that the only army he has is the one he marches with. With two thirds of his army away from his strong hold he will fall and you will finally have control of all kingdoms" Mason sat up straight, it had been a while since someone had spoken about war to him so ambitiously

"And what do you get out of this stranger?" he knew deals like this always came with a catch and if he didn't need the army this man was offering he would just kill him.

"I want Mystic Falls, I want to be king" the man lowered his hood and Mason smirked, standing in front of him was Jonathan Gilbert

"What army do you have Gilbert, your just an advisor" Jonathan's eyes lit up cruelly and Mason leaned forward already knowing his answer

"Help me Kill my brother and his brat of a son and the Mystic Falls army will be at your command" he leant back in his chair surveying King Grayson's brother in front of him

"I already have an alliance with him, what is the difference between you and him?" Jonathan Gilbert looked nervous, he wasn't expecting Mason to question him so much and had relied on his hatred for the Salvatore warlord to get him to agree

"My brother has seen many wars my king, he is wary of them and it will take a lot of convincing to get him to agree, even with his daughter's life at stake. If you help me you will have no resistance what so ever my king, the second you call upon the army they will be yours" Mason nodded, the power hungry fool had a good point, Grayson wouldn't make a move until he had to and he was growing impatient.

"And what of Princess Elena?" Jonathan scoffed and annoyed frown on his face

"Do what you wish with her, if you want her take her I couldn't care less as long as you give me what I want" Mason felt slightly repulsed by the man in front of him, not because of how little he regarded his family but how he obviously had his own ambitions of power and lack of loyalty, he was sure he wouldn't think twice about stabbing him in the back

"Alright Gilbert, I will help you but I want the girl unharmed" He stood up and held out his hand again which Jonathan Gilbert kissed greedily, causing Mason to shake him off in disgust _I'll just kill him once he is of no use and once I get my prize I can finally cement my claim over all kingdoms._


	11. Fun and Games

A/N an update as promised :) once again thank you for all the lovely reviews especially irishmauve, Alyssa92 and kfulmer7 who never fail to review every time :) To guest who commented about my chapters being so long i'll try my best :) i tend to just start writing and end it when it feels right which i can't help once an idea takes me i just go with it. And to my new followers and reviews i'm happy you enjoy this as much as i enjoy writing it!

...

Damon looked down at the well-used map in front of him on the dining room table, he was hunched over it, his brow furrowed and hands hovering over objects of wood that looked like chess game pieces. He pulled his hand back and shook his head, that move would disadvantage them greatly, Alaric looked over at him from across the table, worry exuding from him.

"Maybe we should take a break Damon, we've been here for hours" Damon grunted at his friend and highest ranked general, acknowledging him but brushing off his request. Stephan gave Alaric a nod and placed his hand on his brothers shoulder

"We still don't have a proper plan in place if your main plan fails Damon, if we quit now we'll be fools" Klaus was aggravated, it was clear in his voice and Damon agreed. He had to move quickly with his courtship or his window would close and he would never get to Mason.

"We're all tired, we've been here since the sun rose and little progress has been made. We need food and rest" Alaric spoke up again, his attention turned on Klaus this time. Damon wanted to yell at them to all leave him be, to let him think by himself instead of bickering

"Every day we leave this we give Lockwood the opportunity to weaken us! Are you all to blinded, Damon you need a back-up plan today or he will just march straight to our doorstep" Klaus accent rang through his head and he angrily swept everything off the table in one quick movement, the room fell silent, all attention back on him "That girl has done nothing but distract you since she has been here, hurry up and bed her already"

"ENOUGH!" his fist hit the table with a loud bang that echoed around the room, pain seared through it and up his arm but he ignored it, his teeth barred together "There has to be another way to do this without Mystic Falls, Grayson is an old fool but without his forces we have no hopes in being able to maintain a siege on his city. That _girl_ you are referring to is the key in all this Klaus and you will not speak of her again"

"That girl is clouding your mind you fool, everyone here can see it, and you are not thinking with a straight mind, she has consumed your thoughts! Jesus taking her will probably bring the whole of Lockwood's forces to us by the end of the next season" Damon shook with fury, was it possible that her presence was causing him to seem weak in his army's eyes, were they beginning to doubt him just as Klaus was?. He looked down at the map, wooded figures were scattered across the floor and he felt a deep regret rise up in him, would his first plan bring them to ruin?. He looked to Alaric and Stephan who nodded encouragingly at him, showing they still supported him

"Would it be such a bad thing if he came to us?" Damon froze, Stephan had a point, here they had an advantage, and his city was surrounded by deep forest that only he knew by the back of his hand and the steep slopes on either side was a challenge for Calvary which would stop Lockwood from using close range cannons. If Lockwood came to him his army would be left wide open to an attack from every side and he would never know it as Damon knew his strategy was always front on.

"Stephan! That's it, if we can no longer go to him then he will have to come to us. Our terrain limits his forces, we have enough supplies to last us year round but we would only need a few months at most! If I know Mason he will only come forward as a last resort, he likes to hide behind his men and here on our own grounds we have the stronger and larger army, we can draw him out by playing on his anger and impatience and I will finally take claim to what belongs to me" the three men watched as he quickly gathered up the scattered items and the map placing them enthusiastically in various positions "You see, we can use the forest to hide our true forces, he underestimates it greatly due to the rumours we have spun throughout the years. Four areas all together, one on each side like a compass. Our strong hold will be north where I will command, 2 units made up of our cavalry, archers and foot men at east and west which will be in Alaric's and Stephan's control and then when all his army has arrived Klaus will use the old tunnels to block off from behind them with cannons, archers and more foot men that way we can stop him from retreating like the coward we know him to be. He will be completely surrounded out in the open"

"My god Damon, it could work" all three of them looked at him astounded, never before seeing such determination in his eyes "Do you want me to call the army back?" he shook his head at Alaric

"No, keep them there, this is our back up plan, our first choice is taking our forces to Mason as I want to watch his kingdom crumble by my own hands, I want him to see in his eyes the despair of his once great empire burning down around him. Mason has no clue where my army is and I want to keep it that way" he looked down at the map again and moved the figure that resembled a king into the middle of the Lockwood kingdom "I have you Mason, one way or another I will have my revenge"

…

Elena looked around her as she sat down on the garden grass like she use to do at home, she felt at peace here, like nothing could bother her or upset her. Her dreams had been filled with enchanting tales once again, the archery and the choice Damon had given her had caused her to feel in control of her life again, she no longer felt weak and the attack now just felt like a distant memory. She still had a slight anxiety when she was alone, especially when she walked the halls by herself but she pushed them aside with reason. Caroline sat in front of her making a daisy chain which made Elena smile _exactly like I did at home_, her blue eyed friend spouting nonsense about the goings on behind the castle walls.

"You know Care, you always did care too much about gossip" back when they were little Caroline always knew what everyone was up to from the cooks to the lords and ladies of each kingdoms. She knew who was having an affair, who was stealing and even proposals before they were made. If she was a man Caroline Forbes would have made a good spy and informant

"What else am I supposed to do with my time? Palace life can be so dull sometimes, you need a little bit of drama thrown in or it would just be all politics and who cares about that?" Elena chuckled, if only she could be as care free but sadly she seemed to be the centre of all political things these days

"I guess you're right, do you ever wish that things could be different Care, It feels so long ago that we we're talking this freely as children" Caroline shrugged her shoulders but Elena could see she had hit a sore spot for her friend "I'm sorry about Tyler"

"He ruins everything doesn't he Mason? I should be the one having Tyler's child, not that cow of a woman Hayley but I guess that's just how life goes" Elena frowned, she had heard a while back that Tyler had a child on the way and had hoped Caroline didn't know "There has to be someone else out there for me Elena, someone who will whisk me off my feet and take me to see the world"

"It's nice to know your hopes and dreams haven't been a causality in this ghastly war" Elena lay back on the grass, looking up to the clouds "I'll never understand it Care, why are we the ones that have to make so many sacrifices, women are used as bargaining tools, our dowry's bartered on like we are cattle. What makes us lower than men who only seem to have war and personal gain on their minds" she didn't know why but she suddenly was overcome with deep thoughts that she had never dared express before "Until I got here I was never given a say in my future and now it seems the future of all the kingdoms rest on my choice, strange isn't it?"

"I guess it is Lena, I just hope you make the right choice" Caroline lay down next to her and fell silent, both girls content with their own thoughts

"Do you think Damon would be the right choice?" Elena hadn't seen him since their archery contest and she had grown to miss him, she had tried many times to figure out whether it was because of her gratitude or if her feelings continued to grow for him

"I hope so Elena, he needs someone like you, to keep him in line. All he thinks about is this war and frankly it's about time it all ended and there were little Damon's running around the place" Elena sat up and hit her friend in the arm

"Care! I don't even know if I'm ready to get married and your already talking about me having kids, jesus!" a deep chuckle came from behind them and the two girls spun around quickly. Damon stood there looking as handsome as ever, his eye's twinkling in amusement and strong arms crossed against his chest

"Is that all you women talk about, marriage and babies?" Elena and Caroline stood up, brushing off the grass on their dresses "It doesn't surprise me though, that is your purpose isn't it" Elena saw red, not a minute ago her and Caroline were discussing this exact thing and she had seen the inhumanity in it all

"We are more than just a pretty face and child bearers Damon! We have feelings, thoughts and rights to! What makes you think men are better than us! All men care about is war, Ale and sex, you behave like primitive apes and yet we are the ones looked down upon!" Caroline grabbed her arm, trying to end her rant but she shook her off "You gave me a choice Damon and if you believed what you just said you wouldn't have given me it"

"Your right Elena, I don't think that way at all, it's just fun to see you all flustered" Caroline laughed, Damon had done this to her many times, he enjoyed messing with people and it seemed he enjoyed to do it with Elena more than others

"You…Your such an arrogant bastard!" she wanted to slap the half smirk of his face and yet she also wanted to kiss him but she remained still, her hands on her hips waiting for him to make a move

"It's not my fault you're so easily riled up Elena" he took a step forward to her but she stood her ground, not wanting to show that he intimidated her "And it's cute when you get angry, your cheeks grow red and your eyes hold such a fire in them that make me want to take you in my arms and carry you off to my room"

"Damon! That is not the way to talk to a lady!" Caroline stepped in front of Elena and put her finger into his chest, he towered over her but she jabbed him "You show her some respect, she is not one of your whores" this time Elena was the one to grab Caroline as she noticed his demeanour was no longer playful

"Caroline, I consider you like a sister but you are crossing a line" Elena didn't know why he had turned on her blonde friend, wasn't she only moments ago scolding him like she was? She was confused, did this mean that he cared for her more then he let on previously

"And I consider Elena like a sister to me so I will not have you belittling her like that" Elena let out a yelp as he picked Caroline up and slung her over his shoulder, his steps were quick and she had to run to chase after him, yelling at him in fear that he would hurt her. Caroline was shrieking at him to let her down and Elena stopped, no longer afraid as she saw where he was heading, a fountain big enough to hold ten people in was at the end of the path he was on and she knew, he had only been playing. She watched in amazement as he chucked Caroline into the warm water that had been heated by the sun and quickly ran back to her as Caroline spluttered and threw unsavoury curses at him that no woman should know. He picked Elena up quickly, sprinting towards the house as Caroline struggled to get out of the water in her gown that was now extremely weighted down

"Hey! Where are you taking me Damon!" she wriggled in his grip, hoping that he wasn't looking for another source of water to throw her into. He raced through the house, looking in each door way quickly until he took her into what was a large library and made his way to the back shelf where he put her down. She glared at him and went to open her mouth to say something but he placed his hand over it and raised his finger to his lips. She smiled when she heard Caroline's voice ring out

"When I find you Damon Salvatore I am going to kill you! Do you have ANY idea how long it took me to get ready and now I smell like bloody pond water!" her voice gradually got closer and Elena looked up at Damon cheekily, he smirked and then quickly covered her mouth with his own, she pressed against his chest in protest but he grabbed her waist tightly and wrapped his other hand in her hair. She no longer focused on her rampaging friend's voice, only on how she missed his soft yet strong lips on hers and how he tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth earning a soft gasp from her. Elena wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer to her, their bodies moulded against each other and he spun her around so her back crashed against the shelf, causing books to fall down around them. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and picked her up so she had to wrap her legs around him for support and she clawed at his back. Never in her life had she felt the kind of desire she had right now for the godly man holding her up and trying to grope her backside through the many layers of clothing she wore

"I hate these god damn dress's" he mumbled as he took his lips of hers, she leant her head back against the shelf trying to regain her breath and her mind. She thought he was going to put her down but his lips found hers again, this time becoming more urgent and she felt herself become light headed, her conscience was trying to push through the fog of lust but it was quickly pushed aside when she felt him begin to harshly suck on her neck as he did in the tent a few weeks ago, she arched her back against him and moaned out his name, her last bit of control fluttering away from her as she failed to grab it. "We should stop…" he pulled back, his hair was wild and untamed, his breathing hard and shallow, his shirt untidily had come untucked from his brown leather pants. Elena shook her head, her desire fighting off common reasoning and she could tell he was battling with himself also.

"Damon" her voice was almost pleading and he leant down again, placing a soft trail of kisses from her mouth down to her neck where he had marked her again, he blew on the sensitive spot and smiled against it as she sighed contently but inside she was frustrated, he was teasing her with soft whispers that his feather light kisses left behind, his hands ghosting over her exposed thighs. She wanted to take control of the situation but he refused to let her, every time she went to move against him he held her still making a tut tut sound that infuriated her "Please…" she was desperate for him and he knew it, he could have her right then and she wouldn't fight it but instead he placed one last kiss on her lips and put her down, stepping away from her. _You have to be kidding me!_

"I have to say Elena, you look a bit flustered" the urge to slap him rose up in her again but she felt if she tried to move her legs they would give out. The smug smirk on his face drove her mad and she realised he was just playing with her the way he had outside

"Y-you! What is wrong with you!" for the first time she heard him truly laugh, it was sweet and warm and caused her anger to subside

"DAMON SALVATORE I KNOW YOU ARE IN HERE!" Caroline's voice blared into the room as if it was magnified; Elena felt a sense of satisfaction fill her, she may not have the strength to slap him but an angry Caroline sure as hell did. Damon looked as if he couldn't decide what he wanted to do, he looked at Elena then at the door next to him and then back to her again, Caroline getting closer to them with each passing second. She was taken aback when he took her into his arm's crushing his lips against her swollen ones again in a quick yet intense kiss before he darted out the door just as Caroline came around the corner; her hair bedraggled, dripping wet and black steaks of makeup running from her eyes, Elena would have laughed if she didn't look so terrifying. Elena pointed to the door and watched her fling it open and chase after the black haired man who dunked her, her voice filling the hall way with more threats.


	12. More then a pretty face

She stood in front of the mirror in her room looking over herself, she was beyond nervous which could be shown by numerous outfits scattered across the room. Damon had told her to dress casual for their first official date and she had no idea how casual he meant, at first she had put the dress on she had used for archery but she felt it was too dull, then she had grab a few more extravagant dress's but she felt they were not casual enough. At the moment she had on a simple blue dress made of satin, the top half was corseted and the bottom feel freely, she hated wearing petticoats, she felt the made her look like a puff ball. Caroline sat at the end of her bed laughing at her

"You look fine Elena! You look stunning in whatever you wear" she turned on her friend, throwing her hands up in the air in a frustrated manor which just cause Caroline to laugh even more

"Help me!" Elena knew she didn't have time to get changed again so it was just a matter of doing her hair. Caroline grabbed a brush and pointed to the seat in front of the vanity desk for her to sit and began to brush out her messy curls to a soft natural wave, she reached over to the jewellery box and pulled out a pearl embellished netting that was used to hold the bun in place she had twirled into Elena's hair.

"Don't stress, you'll be fine okay and you look great" There was a knock on the door and Caroline stood up to open it, she turned around to Elena gave her a quick wink and beckoned Damon to come in

"Are you ready yet?" Elena stood up and nodded, a wary smile on her face as she looked over him. He was wearing dark brown leather pants that could almost be passed off as black, a white dress shirt that had a matching leather brown jacket that had the buckles unclipped and hanging off untidily. She defiantly felt over dress and wished she had gone with a non-corseted dress like she originally had tried on

"Yes she is" Caroline answered for her, knowing that if her friend was given the chance she would change again. Elena glared at Caroline but gave no protest and took his outstretched arm which held a black hooded cloak on it.

"Wear this, I want to take you to into town" she sighed in relief as she buckled the clip at the top, it feel to the sides of her dress and she didn't feel overdressed now

"Really?" he nodded and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. Excitement ran through her, she was beginning to feel cooped up in the castle.

….

They reached the gates of the castle and Damon turned to Elena, he couldn't help but brush his hand across the side of her face as he reached for the hood on the cloak he had given her. He watched as she became confused and he smiled apologetically, he wanted them to be able to walk through the city freely and the only way they could do that was to hide behind the hoods of their cloaks.

"Is this really necessary?" _always the defiant one_, he nodded and pressed a kiss against her cheek before replying

"I want you to see the city as a common person Elena" she looked as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself, he gave her his arm again and they walked into the busy town stead and towards the markets. Damon wanted to see how she acted amongst people of lower class, he wanted to know if she would treat them with the same respect and kindness she had given the children in front of the bakery. She pulled away from him and looked over various stores, politely stepping out of the way of people every now and then. He stayed back watching her as she stopped at a jewellery store, running her hands over various pieces before stopping and picking up a necklace. He quickly made his way over as he saw the vendor start to talk to her, he had had various barters with him in the past and he knew he preyed on the naivety of new customers.

"Three gold coins miss, a bargain if you ask me. The jewel is straight from the mystic falls jewel mines" Damon grabbed her hand when she reached for her coin purse around her wrist and shook his head, it was a pretty necklace, a simple gold chain which had a simple sapphire about the size of a pinkie nail hanging off it set on a gold oval. She looked up at him, her lips pursed.

"One gold coin and five silver" the vendor shook his head, clearly disappointed he was being bartered out of a quick sale. He watched as Elena realised why he had stopped her

"Two gold and five silver" she looked to him and he shook his head, the vendor becoming agitated at his intrusion. He held up two fingers to her as the vendor looked behind them at other customers

"Two gold, final offer" She reached for her purse again but Damon had already chucked the coins on the table, the vendor begrudgingly took the money and shooed them off. Elena was slightly taken aback at his rudeness but said nothing

"Miles is known to knock up his prices quite a bit, especially for women, he knows they don't like to barter" he placed the necklace around her neck, his hands settling on her shoulders.

"What a snake, are all vendors like that here?" Damon couldn't help but frown, it was unfortunate that her first interaction in town properly was with Miles.

"No Elena, a few yes but they are just trying to make a living" she began to walk again, ignoring the stores that had vendors for men, partly because what they we're selling had no interest with her.

"Damon, can I ask you something?" she was at a fruit stall now, a pretty young girl was in charge here, her mother sat off to the side staring at her. She picked up an apple and went to hand over money but the older woman stood up and shook her head, gesturing for her to take it. "No please, let me pay" the older woman shook her head and pulled her daughter away leaving Elena with the shining apple in her hand

"You can ask me whatever you want Elena" he watched her place a silver coin on the table even though it was only worth a few pieces of bronze and he began to understand, she never took anything for free.

"Do you really understand war?" Damon was taken aback, what kind of question was that? Of course he understood it, how could he not. "I mean do you understand the consequences?" she lead him over to a bench in the middle of a grass patch by the market place and smiled at the children running around, she stopped one of them that looked less fortunate and handed him the apple. Damon sat down next to her, trying to understand what she was asking

"I won't lie to you Elena, my hands have the blood of many men on them and it takes a toll on me but war is necessary and the men who have fallen give their families honour" she contemplated his answer before pointing to the woman who had refused her money for the apple

"Do you see that woman Damon?" he nodded his head and she chuckled "No Damon, do you really _see _her" he didn't understand what she was asking of him but he looked back at the woman again, taking in her appearance but it was not until he took notice of her eyes, they were dull "That Damon, is the true consequence of war, she is missing a piece of herself"

"How is that a consequence, that may be due to anything Elena, you speak of what you do not know" he became angry, how could she possibly understand anything about war, she had never stepped foot on a battlefield before, she had never struck down another human being

"I have seen that pain countless times since this war began Damon, she has lost someone dear to her. Can't you see? You men you go off to protect your lands, to gain honour and respect but not once do you look back to see what you have left behind. That woman may have lost a son or her husband, her daughter may have lost a brother or father and now they are in the market place selling fruit to survive even though their will has diminished" he looked back to the two woman and tried to see what Elena was talking about, the younger daughter had a hand on the older woman's shoulder, a sad and pitying look in her eyes as she continued to stare at nothing again "Wives' are burying their husbands, mothers are burying their sons and for what? For honour?"

"No Elena, they are fighting for freedom, I am fighting for their freedoms. My father use to run a fair kingdom much like the one I have tried to nurture here and the Lockwood family have taken that away from many families, those under his rule suffer in poverty and filth, he taxes them their wages so they are left with nothing except a few bronze coins. I want to give them back that was taken from them Elena"

…

Elena took Damon's hand in hers, satisfied with his answer. She had wanted to find out his real purpose behind this war, she needed to know whether he was a selfish man underneath it all and was thankful his answer was just and honest. They were both staring at the two women again, contemplating each other's words as if they had both learnt something new.

"War, a necessary evil, I do hope you win this Damon because if I'm honest I want to see this freedom you speak of" her attention turned back to the children running around playing a game of tag "These children deserve a brighter future"

"I wish it was that simple Elena, there is so much wrong with this world and winning this war will only be the start, there will always be greedy men and woman and poverty no matter what I do" sadness filled her and she had to agree, but a part of her knew it was possible to change things, he had given her a choice he could give so many more to those under his rule

"Things have to change, but all it takes is one person Damon to set off the ripples. You just have to figure out where to start, like those two women, why should they struggle? They are grieving and yet here they are working even though they are clearly in despair, would it be too much to ask to give them a wage until they were fit to work?" she felt Damon's eye's on her, she knew what she was saying was controversial but she felt that in his presence she could speak what would be considered hearsay to others "Think about it Damon, they didn't have a choice in the matter and yet they suffer for it, why? They have done nothing wrong"

"What you're saying Elena, it isn't possible, where would the money come from?" she turned to him and pressed and kiss on his lips, a mysterious smile that she could tell made him uncomfortable

"The rich Damon, the poor get taxed yet the rich do not, how is that fair? The poor give more sacrifice only to be given more poverty to support these wars. Lower the poor taxes and subsidise it with the rich" he quickly stood up and began pacing, she could see he was agitated but she knew it was because no one had the guts to speak of such things

"What you speak of, it's crazy, I would lose support Elena and I can't afford that right now, I need all the men I have" she stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist to comfort him.

"It all comes down to war doesn't it, war makes way for change Damon" he turned to her and removed the hood off her face before his. He no longer cared about keeping low profile.

"You never cease to amaze me my jewel" he lowered his head to bring her into a passionate kiss that made her forget that they were outside amongst a few hundred people, all eyes on the two young people. They could all see the love they held for each other and yet the Elena and Damon could not admit it to themselves yet, they were too stubborn to see how far they had already fallen.

A/N. I'm wanting to write a love life for Caroline into this but I'm having trouble deciding who to put her with so I'm going to ask you guys! Would you like to see her paired with Klaus or Stephan? Comment what you would preffer!


	13. Caroline

A/N Just a small chapter guys, hope you enjoy it, a lot of you wanted Klaus/Caroline so this is just a small part just for them. Enjoy!

…..

Caroline found herself staring out the window of her room into the garden, with Elena spending more time with Damon today she found herself dwelling on what her life had become. She use to have everything planned out, her hope and dreams at the touch of her finger tips and now she was holed up in the Salvatore castle fearing if she ventured into the world like she wanted to that she would be killed. She was supposed to married, happily in love with Tyler Lockwood and having children like they had planned but it had all been ripped away from her. Caroline felt her eyes tear up and angrily wiped them away, she did not want to be weak anymore, she wanted to move on with her life, find a new love. She looked towards a shriek and found herself smiling, Elena was running down the cobblestone path, Damon hot on her heels chasing after her and Caroline began to feel hopeful again _If Elena can find love in this messed up world after everything that's happened to her then so can I_. She pulled herself away from the window, determined to leave her room and lift her spirits even further; after all staying cooped up would cause her to dwell more on things that would never come to pass. She slowly made her way through the castle, observing each art piece she came across, she didn't know why art intrigued her so much but it had a hold over her and she often found herself lost in the castle, too busy in her thoughts about what meaning each painting held. Eventually she stopped at her favourite painting, it had cold blue undertones in it which reached out to her sadden heart. It was a simple painting though, a lone man standing on a bridge over a small stream, holding what she thought was a rose, petals off it falling into the water below. Every time she examined the painting she would find herself wondering and making up a story behind it, some with happier endings while others heart breaking. Today was no different, she imagined the man waiting for his lover to show up so they could run off together, the petals showing how much time had passed since his arrived and each petal was a shred of his hope falling away.

"What's so interesting about this piece love?" Caroline groaned, Klaus always had a way of turning up when she wanted to be on her own, it was like the man had some sort of sense that told him she was by herself.

"You wouldn't understand Klaus, a military man like yourself holds no value with art" he stepped forward to stand beside her, his head cocked to the side as he stared at the painting. Caroline decided to not move, she didn't mind his company this time but the second he began acting like his usual arrogant self she would happily leave.

"We'll then, tell me what you think the artist was trying to say" she turned to him curiously, wondering why he was asking for her such a question, was he really interested in what she thought

"I think the artist was lonely" Klaus made a slight noise that she swore was a laugh and she began to feel agitated. She crossed her arms across her chest and spun on her hell to face him

"Well then, what do you think he was trying to say if you're such an expert" his eyes glistened at her, his sandy blonde hair falling around the sides of his face softly. Caroline had to admit, for a man so annoying and arrogant he was quite handsome.

"I don't think it's about being lonely, but close. I think it's about loss, about the emptiness that follows when someone loses a loved one" he stared at the painting, a flash of recognition flashing in him which Caroline didn't let go amiss.

"They say what you see in the painting is how you see yourself" Klaus flashed her a twisted smile that made her gut turn, she just knew he was going to be an asshole

"Are you saying your lonely love? Because if you are I could help you with that" she took a step back, anger eating away at her. How dare he even imply something like that to her, she was a lady.

"I wouldn't let you touch me in a million years Klaus, you disgust me" he took a step towards her as if it was some kind of game to him and Caroline started to feel panic rise in her, he had been forward with her before but she never took him seriously

"Come on love, just a bit of fun. Ever since you found out about that new Lockwood brat you've been so uptight" Caroline wanted to throw up as his words hit her like a ton of bricks, everyone had been careful not to mention Tyler's soon to be child around her.

"You're a pig Klaus!" tears welled up in her eyes again, she wanted to be anywhere but here as she could feel a break down coming on and to do that in front of Damon's cruellest general would be something she would never live down.

"I could give you the world love, that fool didn't deserve you. Not once did he try and fight for you, he followed orders like a good puppy would, married that Hayley girl and went off to play happy families. I would fight tooth and nail for a woman like you Caroline" tears streamed freely down her face now, her hand on her stomach as it churned more violently.

"S-stop it, stop talking about him!" he shook his head, advancing on her more until she was backed into an alcove. Sob's reached her throat and she held her hand over her mouth, trying to stop them.

"No, it's about time someone told you the truth love instead of tip toeing around it. You we're never made for that house wife life, the kids, the big house, waiting hand and foot on your husband. It's a joke, I know you better then you know yourself love. I can see in your eye's what you want and once this war is over I can give it to you" Caroline looked up at him, his works sinking in. She had always seen her life going the way he said but deep down she knew a part of her would resent it.

"You don't know me at all Klaus" her voice was barely a whisper but she knew he had heard her by the way he smiled down at her. He didn't touch her except for when he whipped her tears off her now stained cheeks

"I could give you a life of adventure, anywhere you want to go we'll go, we can see the world together. Just say the word and we'll be gone" her heart was screaming at her to trust him, to take his offer and run off with him like she had envisioned for the man in the painting.

"No, I can't just go running off and especially not with you" she pushed him aside, walking in the direction of her room quickly. Klaus didn't make a move to go after her and she was grateful as she felt any second she would completely loose it. She sighed in relief when she reached her door, flinging it opened and flopping herself down on her bed, she didn't bother to wipe away her tears now or suppress the violent sobs she had held in. She openly wept in the safety of her room, she cried for her lost dreams, for her broken heart and most of all she cried because Klaus had been right about her and it scared her to her very core.


	14. i love you

A few weeks had passed since Caroline's encounter with Klaus, her mind had raced constantly with what he had said. Klaus had been right, Tyler hadn't fought for her, he had promised her everything and when it was time to step up he left her high and dry, giving the promises he made to her to someone else. She had begun to constantly question if her relationship with Tyler was even real, if he had just used her as a toy until something he thought was better came along, she doubted he even loved her. Her sadness began to be replaced with anger and confusion and she was constantly snapping at everyone, including Elena. Her friend had been mind to her though, she could see her friend was in turmoil and took everything throw at her with a patience Caroline never expected. It was strange how things turned in life, it had started off as Elena needing a friend for comfort when in reality it was her that needed someone to turn to. She was thankful Klaus had left her alone since that day, she didn't think she could handle any more truths from him.

"Care?" Elena's timid voice flowed into the library and Caroline looked up from the book she had long ago given up on reading. She knew Elena was waiting for a gesture from her to let her know she wasn't going to bite her head off for disturbing her so she waved her hand, a forced smile on her face. She felt like she had lost so much already, she didn't want to push Elena away to.

"Something wrong Elena?" the brunette princess flopped down in the chair opposite her with an exasperated sigh, something was up but Caroline didn't know if she had the energy to listen to her problems, she was far too wrapped up in her own at the moment

"How do you know you're in love?" Caroline's mind was screaming at her to run, she didn't want to have a conversation like this, not when she was questioning whether or not Tyler use to love her. The subject was too hard to talk about but she had to give Elena some sort of answer, she owed her that much

"I thought I use to know, I guess you know when you wake up every day and the first thing that comes to your mind is that person, before you close your eyes to sleep they consume your last thoughts, even your dreams. You feel like you would give up everything for them and protect them till your dying breath. When your around them your heart skips a few beats and you can't envision your life without them" She looked down at her book again, trying to ignore the voice in the back of her head trying to convince her that she had never known true love with Tyler, that yes she had loved him but he never loved her back.

"Is that how you feel about Tyler?" his name leaving Elena's lips enraged her, she never wanted to hear his name again except for in her own thoughts. When said out loud it brought it all crashing down on her, her negative thoughts, her doubts, Klaus 'truths'.

"Get out" Elena gapped at Caroline's cold tone but did not move, angering her further "Get out Elena!"

"No! I'm sick of this Caroline! I feel like I have to tip toe around everything with you! You're not the only one confused and angry!" Caroline stood up, towering over her friend, pointing her finger at her as if she was damning her

"Oh that's right, poor little Elena, can't figure out if Damon actually loves her or if he is just using her to get his way into daddy's castle. Poor princess with all her jewels and dress who has yet to have her heart broken" She knew she didn't mean the things she said but she felt like her mouth had taken over, all of her thoughts turning onto Elena, resenting her and Damon's seemingly happy progress in their relationship "You want to know what love is Elena, It's when you can't stand to be away from them, when your heart feels like it's been torn into a million pieces because you give someone everything! You give them every single part of you, your heart, your mind, your body and what does it get you? Nothing but heart ache and never ending suffering. You want to know if Damon loves you. He doesn't Elena, he couldn't care less about you, he just wants to use you and throw you away like yesterday's garbage"

"You're wrong! He would never do that to me!" Elena stood up, pushing the chair she was sitting on away from her angrily. Caroline wanted to scream, she wanted to run away and stop all the damage she was causing to Elena to stop

"What makes you think your so damn special? I've seen so many girls like you walk in here thinking you can change him, that you'll live happily ever after and have children but guess what. Damon's a warlord, he doesn't do happy families Elena. Sure let's say you two get married and then what? He isn't going to stay home with you, he's going to be off on the battle field, visiting his whore houses and not giving you a second thought! You're just going to be another notch on his belt and the sooner you realise that the better" Caroline breathed hard, feeling exhausted from her rant. Guilt filled her heart, her blue eyes shedding tears. She couldn't bear to look at Elena, she knew she had hurt her. She felt her head snap to the side, a sharp slapping sound echoing through the room. Caroline held a hand to her cheek _I guess I deserved that_. She heard Elena's quick footsteps walk away from her without the girl saying a word, she wanted to call her back, apologise and beg for her forgiveness but she couldn't bring herself to move.

"We'll that was quite a show love, didn't know you had it in you" she collapsed back into her chair and groaned, fate was being unusually cruel to her

"What do you want Klaus" he stepped out from behind a book shelf and sauntered over to her and pulled over the chair Elena had previously occupied. He sat down and leant forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Just to see if you're okay" she shook her head, she didn't want to talk to him about this, he was the one who made her this way, who caused her to question everything she believed to be true

"Please go away, I've made enough of an idiot out of myself already, I don't need you to tell me that" he tilted her head up, his hand gently grasping her chin and forcing her to look at him

"I don't understand love, I told you the truth so you would move on and yet all you seem to be doing is beating yourself up even more" he brushed her fringe out of her face causing her to turn her head away from him

"You wouldn't understand…" she watched as he leant backwards, crossing his ankles and resting his head on the back of his hands.

"Bullshit, your just to scared love to face the inevitable truth of it all" Caroline groaned, not this again if she didn't leave he would just mess up her mind even more than it already was "None of what happened with that Lockwood boy was your fault, you are a charming, vulnerable young lady and he took advantage of that. He knew right from the start he was giving you empty promises, him and Hayley have been engaged since they were children and not once did he mention it to you. So why Caroline do you insist on being so weak and blaming yourself for what he did?" how did he know all this? Was he lying to her? Was he intentionally trying to confuse her again?

"How do you know all this? You could be lying to me…" he nodded, accepting that she didn't trust him. Her urge to leave was gone, her mind more focused on finding out what was real.

"I use to be one of Mason's generals, knew Hayley quite well actually, she was always coming to me telling me how pathetic she thought you were and how Tyler and her we're making bets on how long her could sting you along. It was unusually cruel, even for my standards. You're the reason I sought out Damon actually, I got kicked out of Lockwood kingdom for threating that snivelling mutt, told him to break off his cruel game" she couldn't help but feel shocked, no one talked about Klaus's past, she had just assumed he was just another blood thirsty mercenary

"You didn't even know me Klaus" he leaned forward again and she could swear he looked familiar to her, like she had known him before all of this

"I did love, you may not remember though it was a long time ago" she tried desperately to rack her brains to figure out how she knew him, memories reaching out to her but her mind could barely grasp them until it settled on one, a young boy being beaten by his father in the market place.

"That was you? That boy?" he nodded, looking quite pleased she hadn't forgotten. How had she not put it together, she had seen him so many times and not once did she notice it was him "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Not my style love, I'm respected here, I'm feared and I have power, the last thing I want people to know is about my past. You saved my life that day and that was the same day I swore I would give you the world" she became confused again, she hadn't done much, she had begged his father to stop but he hadn't listened and she ran off to find her own father, pleading with him to help the young boy being beaten to death while other people just walked by

"You just disappeared after that, why?" Klaus looked torn, had she pushed him too far? Did he trust her enough to talk about it?

"My father love he was not a kind man, my mother had an affair and I was the product from it. My father found out, he began to beat my mother in front of me and my siblings, I tried to stop him but instead he turned his attention to me, swearing that he would rid the world of his wife's bastard child. So I made sure he could never find me until I was strong enough, I left and began to train myself, I joined the Lockwood army as a blacksmiths apprentice and when I was old enough I worked my way up the ranks until one day I decided I was ready" he smiled widely at her, it was cold and twisted and she began to feel that he was just as broken as she felt right now "The day I killed my father was the day my life truly began and I owe it all to you Caroline"

"I-I don't know what to say" she felt scared, she wanted to get away from him and fast, he clearly had a few screws missing "I need to go find Elena" she stood up quickly but he grabbed her, pulling her into his lap and nuzzling into her hair

"Do not be afraid of me love, I will never hurt you. I told you the truth because I wish to never lie or hide anything from you. For you love I am an open book" her heart fluttered in a way that it use to for Tyler, but this time it felt more intense, more real "Do you remember that painting love? The one where you said the painter was lonely?"

"What about it?" she noted that Klaus couldn't keep a train of thought very well, his conversations were erratic and unpredictable.

"He is lonely, he's been waiting for that one woman to make him whole, he's been waiting for you" he pulled her closer to him and she looked at him sharply, piecing together what he was implying

"You painted that? But…that doesn't make any sense!" he chuckled into her ear, nipping it lightly and she bit her lip shyly

"I did indeed, there's a lot you don't know about me love but give me a chance to show you what real love is" her mind was numb, she felt like she had been bombarded with too much information to quickly and it was taking a toll on her already exhausted body. She felt her eyes begin to flutter close and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a more comfortable position

"I'll give you a chance, but only one" it was a whispered answer as she felt her last bit of strength leave her and nestled her head into her neck, closing her eyes and quickly falling asleep in his arms. For the first time she felt like things we're making sense.

…..

Elena ran down the hallway to her room, ignoring Damon as she fled past him. She couldn't face him not after what Caroline had said, deep down she knew she didn't mean any of it but it didn't lessen the pain. She ran faster as she could hear Damon yelling at her, his footsteps beating across the floor loudly. She blamed herself, after all it was her stupid idea to agree to this courtship and she had been stupid to think that she would be enough to satisfy him. She reached her room, flung open the door and flopped down on her bed, her face into her pillows as she sobbed, trying to muffle them. Any minute now she knew Damon would barge through her door and demand answers, answers she didn't know she could give him. She was a coward, she loved him, and she knew he did but she couldn't bring herself to tell him until he could say it first, she was scared he would reject her.

"Elena! What's going on? Has someone hurt you?" she cringed at how worried he sounded. If Caroline was right he was a better actor then what she thought, could it be possible that he loved her back?

"I'm fine Damon" her reply was muffled by the pillow and she felt him sit next to her, his hand beginning to rub soothing circles on her back, trying to calm her down and stop her crying.

"Please get your head out of the pillow, I can't understand you properly" she shook her head, she didn't want him to see her like this. Elena's face was blotchy, her eyes we're puffy and red from crying and her hand still stung from when she had slapped Caroline. "Elena…" she sat up, grabbed a pillow and pulled it to her chest. She wished her mother was here, there was no better comfort than her mother's soft singing

"Stop pretending you care Damon, we both know I'm just a means to an end" she put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide, she didn't mean to say that out loud. Damon looked at her sadly, standing up quickly, his hands behind his back

"That's crap Elena and you know it" she hugged the pillow tighter against her, trying to block him out. It was all lies, he was just using her.

"It's not crap Damon, you're just using me so you can get to my father!" she could see he was growing angry and frustrated but she was beginning not to care, she had been here to long with few to many answers.

"At first it was but now…" Elena looked up at him hopefully, her heart calling out to him to say the word's she wanted to hear come out of his soft kissable lips. "I care deeply about you Elena"

"Care! Jesus Damon! You know that isn't what I want to hear! Why can't you say it! We both know how we feel about each other so why can't you just say the god damn words!" she watched him pace back and forth, occasionally stopping to stare at her as if he wanted to say something.

"I can't, it's weak" she threw the pillow at him angrily, standing up herself. She wanted to smash something, to scream and kick him, to show him how much he was hurting her by refusing to tell her

"It is not weak! What you're doing is weak! It's pathetic Damon, a big mighty warlord scared of three little words!" he reeled around to her, grabbing her arm "Is it because of Katerina? Do you still love her?"

"Don't you ever mention that name around me again Elena! You know absolutely nothing!" his grip tightened and she winced, but she refused to back down.

"You either love me or you don't Damon! I'm sick of this, I'm sick of waiting for things to just happen, I want more then sweet words and trips into town. I need to hear you say it because I want to know if were going somewhere or not! If you can't give me what I want then let me go so I can find someone who can!" he glared down at her, only listening to the parts he wanted to hear

"You would leave me Elena? Just like that, you don't get what you want so like the spoilt brat you are you'd take off" he grabbed her other arm, looking directly into her doe brown eye's that only held defiance in them "You want to hear those words so badly Elena and yet I haven't heard them from you, what are you waiting for?" her heart fluttered, her answer stuck in her throat and her fear of being rejected rising again. Did she dare tell him? If she said it would he?

"I…." her voice dropped off and he frowned, letting go of her and turning his back on her, she felt defeated, he was right; if she couldn't say it then what right did she have to demand he did.

"You what Elena?" she reached for his hand but he pulled it away, his shoulders slumped forward as if she had hurt him deeply. Maybe, just maybe he was more scared of saying it then she was, he had felt heart break before and she had not, was that the reason he was so reluctant, had Katerina done more damage than he let on?

"I love you Damon…" she saw his body tense, his shoulders rise back up, yet he still did not turn around. She gained her courage, now that she had said it she felt it was out in the open "I love you Damon Salvatore" he spun around, his jaw slack, his eyes disbelieving "That's right, I said it. I Elena Gilbert love you" his lips crashed down on hers, his hand's grabbing at her clothes desperately. She was taken aback, she had expected him to say it back not this. She wasn't complaining though, the way he kissed her she knew it was his way of telling her back, all of his love, his frustrations and desire for her was in it, causing her to submit to his dominate tongue completely and she realised how much he needed her, how much he wanted her. He lifted her up, carrying her to the bed, his lips never leaving hers and Elena's grabbed his jacket, forcing it down of his shoulders. He pulled away, giving her a wolfish smile and threw her on the bed and removed his shirt as well. Elena couldn't help but admire his chiselled body, his perfectly formed muscles calling out for her to touch them. She began to feel nervous, she didn't know if she was ready for this, she had never been with anyone and she didn't want to disappoint Damon. "I-I don't know Damon" he crawled on top of her, his legs between hers and pressed a gentle kiss onto her forehead

"I promise, if you want to stop I will" Elena nodded, knowing that she could trust him, she still felt uncertain but she knew that she wanted him more then she had wanted anything in her life. He brushed her hair out of her face, taking a moment to admire her and she blushed which cause him to give her his heart breaking lopsided smile "Just relax Elena, I may not be able to say those words but I can show you, let me show you" he kissed her again, it was gentle, calming and she found herself moaning into it.

"Love me Damon, make me yours" her words were panted against his lips, his fingers tracing up and down the inside of her thighs, making her squirm against him. She felt his breath on her ear, his tongue flicking out to take her earlobe in to his hot mouth.

"All in good time beautiful" Elena felt her head cloud over and she resigned herself over to him, her mind lost in her desire for the only man she had ever loved.

….

A/N, I ended it here because I'm not sure whether or not I should keep this a clean story or not, I'm not sure how you all feel about smut so decided to play it safe for now but am happy to give it a go and continue it into the next chapter. I'm hoping I pulled Klaus off okay, I wanted to show him still as a bit crazy as he is in the TV show but show that when it comes to Caroline he can be a softie!


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